An Alola Journey
by TheLoneHero17
Summary: In need of help to form a Pokémon League in Alola, Professor Kukui enlists the help of a former Island Challenger who was on his way to become Alola's first champion. What he didn't expect was for the person to bring a load of new problems for Ash and his friends. Watch out Alola! There's now two Sun's among you! Eventual Smarter/Stronger!Ash! Ash x Mallow and Sun x Lillie.
1. Sunrise

"All right class. Settle down!" Professor Kukui said to his talkative class. "Now, I have some big news that I want to share with you guys!" Kukui couldn't suppress the massive grin forming on his face.

"I wonder what it could be?" Ash Ketchum asked to no one in particular. His classmates thought the same exact thing.

"I've been thinking about this for a while. Ever since our trip to Kanto. There's this thing that I really want to do." Everyone was at the edge of their seats. "And that is to form a Pokémon League for trainers of the Alola region!" He announced proudly. His class gasped. "That is my dream right now." Chatter spread throughout the class at the sudden news.

"A pokémon league in Alola!?" Ash Ketchum exclaimed with surprise. He turned to his Pikachu, who was licking his tail. "Did you hear that, Pikachu? A pokémon league in Alola!" Pikachu grew excited at the chance of competing in another regional league. Poipole joined in on their joy.

"You guys too!" Ash said, much to Poipole's delight.

"You guys!" Ash and his two pokémon flinched at the voice. He turned to see his friend, Kiawe talk to his pokémon. "Aim for victory in the pokémon league!" Kiawe shouted. His Turtonator and Marowak let out battle cries.

"I'm fired up now!" Kiawe declared with flames in his eyes along with his two pokémon.

"So passionate," Mallow commented on Kiawe's determination.

"The gym battle in Kanto got him interested," Lana added in.

"We'll be aiming for victory too!" Ash mimicked Kiawe's actions. Lillie giggled at this.

"Ash and his pokémon are on fire as well," Lillie said. Ash and Kiawe stood face to face with smirks on their faces.

"There's no way I'll lose!" Ash told Kiawe. They showed off their Z Rings to each other. Sophocles gaped at their electrifying friendly rivalry.

"That's the spirit, Ash and Kiawe!" Kukui brought their attention back to him. "This will be the first attempt at forming a league in Alola. So I'd like to ask you all to help out, too," He requested his class for their support.

"Of course!" Rotom buzzed. "I will support you with my knowledge as a pokémon!"

"Yeah!" Kukui pumped his fist to the air. "I'm counting on you!" He told his class. They all nodded in response.

"We'll do our very best," Lillie said, petting Snowy as she slept. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"Yeah, I can't wait to be able to compete in another league!" Ash grinned.

"That's the spirit guys! Thank you!" Kukui smiled. "I have one more announcement. Since I am going to need more help to make my dream happen, I've enlisted some help outside of this classroom."

Lana tilted her head in confusion. "Who did you ask to help?" She asked. The class looked at Kukui expectantly.

"I'm sure you all will be very glad to hear this." Kukui's words made everyone excited as to who it was. "You all minus Ash, have met him before. I asked this person to come to Alola. He should be here by tomorrow."

"Who is it?!" Mallow playfully demanded.

Kukui laughed at their anticipation. "The person that I got to help us is none other than…" He paused dramatically. "Sun!" Kukui announced. His face fell immediately because of their reactions.

"S-sun!?" Everyone but Ash cried out. Most looked nerved.

"Who's Sun?" Ash asked. No one answered his question. They were all too stunned to answer him.

"Sun." Kukui slightly narrowed his eyes at his rude students. "Is a trainer who completed trials in Alola just like you, Ash. He attended this very school, too. In fact, you're sitting at his old desk." Kukui chuckled when Ash stared at his desk with wonderment. "Sun was a brilliant student. Top of the class, powerful trainer, and an overall nice person. He's completed all of his trials and beaten each islands respective Kahuna. It was the first time someone has ever done it. He was scheduled for the final trial, which at the time consisted of having to beat all four Kahunas in a row. But he suddenly backed out and said he was heading back to his hometown in Kanto. I never knew why," Kukui finished.

"Wow." Ash grew intrigued at hearing of the new trainer, Sun. "Final Trial, huh? He's sounds like a powerful trainer!" He turned to his anxious classmates. "How come you all never mentioned this Sun guy to me!? He must be crazy strong!" Everyone avoided Ash's eye, confusing the boy even more.

"Yes." Kukui's stern voice made them flinch. "During our visit to Kanto, I found Sun there before we left and told him about my plans. He agreed to it, informing me of the date on which he'll arrive. I was under the assumption that you'd all be happy to have Sun come back." His eyes were dead set at the shivering Lillie. "Especially you, Lillie."

Lillie cowered under her desk as everyone's eyes turned to her. "I-I… w-well… um…" Luckily for Lillie and everyone else, Rotom interjected.

"Bzzt! There seems to be a disturbance right outside the classroom!" Rotom pointed to the door.

"No one better be vandalizing this school!" Kukui marched out the doorway. Rotom sneakily winked at Lillie before leaving with Kukui.

"Phew," Lillie sighed with relief. The others minus Ash doing the same.

"What's the matter guys?" Ash asked his friends. "Do you all not want Professor Kukui to make a pokémon league in Alola happen?"

"I-It's not that," Mallow stuttered. She thought about what she was going to say carefully. "We just aren't sure about Professor Kukui inviting _him_ here." Her voice darkened.

"Yes, that's it," Lana chimed in with the same tone in her voice.

"We ought to be careful you guys," Kiawe advised them. Ash and Pikachu exchanged perplexed glances. What was their deal?

Lillie and surprisingly Sophocles, stayed silent. Lillie appearing more nervous while Sophocles was angry. Before Ash had a chance to go further more into it, Kukui's voice hollered to them.

"Class is dismissed! I have to go find this delinquent!" Kiawe, Mallow, and Lana bolted out the room. Lillie remained in her seat, fidgeting her fingers anxiously. Sophocles left his desk and stood next to Ash.

"What's going on, Sophocles? Why's everyone acting so weird?" Ash asked. Pikachu leaned in so he could also hear the explanation.

"You see," Sophocles started, his body shaking. "Sun is a touchy topic for them. Especially Lillie." Sophocles and Ash watched Lillie leave the room. "Follow me. We should visit his empty house. I'll be able to show you more there." Sophocles and Togedemaru exited the classroom with Ash and Pikachu in tow.

Sophocles, Ash and their pokémon walked along a path. The shorter boy led the way.

"Sun's about our age. He's a bit older than most of us. Kiawe beats him by a few weeks. He's about as tall as Mallow. He has pale blue eyes and black hair that reaches to his shoulders." Sophocles talked about Sun's physical appearance to Ash. "We're actually childhood friends. We've known each other since we were five. But I think he's known Mallow longer."

"Hmm." Ash took all the new information in. "What about the others?"

"Sun met Lana from Mallow when they were six. Sun and Kiawe met last and knew each other when they started attending the pokémon school. As for Lillie, I'm not too sure on how they met. Sun invited her one day during one of our invention sessions. She's a nice girl so I didn't mind. In fact, she made it more fun. And that was just three years ago. It seems like just yesterday we were hanging out like the good old days." Sophocles stopped and his eyes wandered to the sun with a distant look. "I miss it."

Ash noticed his friend's mood go down. "What happened? It seems to me that this Sun guy was great friends with everyone in our class." The shorter boy gazed down at the ground. Ash patted Sophocles' back with a smile.

Sophocles took a deep breath. "It all started eleven months ago. Almost a year. He was helping me with one of my inventions…

* * *

"Here's the screwdriver you needed, Sophocles."

"Thanks, Sun! I'm about ninety five percent finished with this." Sophocles took the screwdriver from Sun and screwed in the remaining screws so that the object will hold in place. "There! I present to you, the Ping Pokémon Finder 2.0!" Sophocles proudly showed Sun his brand new machine.

"Neat! What does it do?" Sun asked curiously.

Sophocles smirked. "Why, it lures pokémon with audible sounds that only they can hear! That way I can catch pokémon when I'm allowed to next month!"

Sun laughed. "I suppose that is a way to catch pokémon. Mind if I give it a test run?"

"Not at all!" Sophocles replied, wanting to see his creation in action.

Sun edged his finger near the switch on the top of the machine. "Pokémon, come to us!" He flicked the switch and let the magic happen-

Until it blew up in his face.

"Ah!" Sun yelped. His faces covered in smog. Sophocles gasped, shouting fast apologies to him. That was, until Sun burst out laughing with Sophocles joining him seconds later.

"Ha! Oh man, how much times has that happened now? I've lost track," Sun said after his laughter faded.

"The sixth time," Sophocles answered embarrassingly.

"We got to start from scratch again." Sun inspected the broken pieces. "Honestly, you don't need an invention to catch pokémon. I'm sure you can catch one all by yourself. I can give you some pointers on how I caught my first pokémon, Sandshrew."

Sophocles' eyes sparkled. "Wow, you mean it? But won't you be too busy as _island champion_?" He made sure to put emphasis on the last two words in a teasing manner.

Sun chuckled, "It means a lot that you have so much confidence in me. But just because I may become champion doesn't mean I don't have time for my friends."

"Sun, that means a lot. Thank y-"

"Ricky dink dink, who do these kids think they are? Stepping in Team Skull's territory."

"Don't know the confusion. Betta they hustle on outta here before we teach 'em a lesson yo!"

Sun groaned, "Ugh, not these guys again." To their left, stood two Team Skull grunts. Both male. The arrogant grins on their faces said it all.

"Ay yo, Hukio, it's that boy. Ya know, the one on the news."

"Ah yes, the soon-to-be island champion. The one with the funny name yo!" The two huddled up and discussed the situation quietly.

"What do we do, Sun?" Sophocles asked with a tinge of nervousness.

Sun grinned and pulled out one of his poké balls. "What I always do. Battle them!" The two grunts overheard him.

"You, a little boy wants to battle us!? Puh-lease! Tuyo, let's teach him how Team Skull rolls yo!"

"Yeah! When we're done with him he won't be able ta battle ever again yo! He'll be an island challenger reject like us!" The two high fived each other.

Sun merely rolled his eyes. "I'd like to see you t-" Sun grunted when he felt someone strike the back of his head and fell to the ground. He saw Sophocles go down with him.

"Stupid goons! You have the boy who's about to be island champion and ya don't even tell me!?" A larger man stepped forward. His clothes differed from the regular Team Skull outfit. His necklace with the 'S' buckle shined gold.

"We're sorry boss man! We just found the kid here yo!" One of the grunts clarified.

The apparent boss man scoffed, "Grab him already you bag of rocks. And stop talking like that, it makes you sound stupid!" While the three were arguing, Sun tried to find his poké ball.

"Looking for this?" The boss held up a poké ball. Sun's poké ball. "And these?" He held up his entire poké ball inventory. "It's amazing how easy stealing can be if your target is down." He laughed menacingly.

"Drats." Sun sat up. "What do you people want with me?"

"To join us," The boss replied. "You are the most valuable asset in Alola at the moment. Being an island challenger helps sweeten the deal."

Sun thought about his options. On one hand, he could join them. That was out of the picture. On the other hand, they could just run away. But that would leave his partners in Team Skull's hands.

"How about this." The boss picked Sophocles up. "You join us and the boy doesn't face our wrath. I'll even give you back your wretched pokémon as a bonus." Sophocles squirmed under his grasp, resulting in the boss to tighten his grip.

"Alright. Alright. You win." Sun raised his hands in defeat. "Just leave my friend alone."

"Good boy." He released Sophocles. The shorter boy gasped for air. "Now come here. Also, you shall refer to me as Boss Jenercocio."

Sun reluctantly went over to the his side. In a flash, Jenercocio took Sun by the shoulder and lifted him up.

"Move it, move it!" The three bolted from the scene, taking Sun with them while also leaving a shocked Sophocles behind.

* * *

"It was so scary. I didn't know what to do so I ran and ran as fast as I could to the nearest Officer Jenny." Sophocles picked up Togedemaru and hugged her comfortably. "I talked to her but without any evidence and information, we couldn't get a lead. I tried to get our friends to help me but they thought we were pulling a prank. We did quite a few of those so they expected it to be another prank..."

* * *

Lana and Mallow walked together to school. Their moods brightened at meeting their friends there.

"D-do you think I should tell Sun, well… you know what." Mallow asked nervously.

Lana giggled at her friends behavior. "You worry too much, Mallow." The two made it to the school and Lana clenched the doorknob. "Sun's an understanding friend. Just tell him how you-ah!" Lana shrieked as she felt an array of icy cold water splash down on her head.

"So cold!" Mallow whispered chillingly. The two girls heard laughter from within the classroom.

Sun and Sophocles snickered at the display. Their prank worked like a charm.

"Yes, a very understanding friend," Mallow muttered with Lana smiling sheepishly.

A few weeks after that, Kiawe whistled a heartwarming tune. Today was the day that he's finally getting his second pokémon. His friend, Sun promised him a really cool pokémon that he found in the area. He told Kiawe that he could have it since his team was full.

"I wonder what it could be. Maybe it's a Turtonator! That'd be really awesome!" Kiawe exclaimed. Up ahead he saw Sun waving at him.

"Kiawe! Right here. It's sleeping!" Ecstatic, Kiawe sprinted to the area. "In the bushes!" Sun's chuckle made Kiawe suspicious but nevertheless he spread the bushes wide open.

"Rawr!" A scary beast with sharp horns roared at Kiawe.

"Ah!" Kiawe screamed, tumbling backwards. Laughter erupted from Sun and the… pokémon?

"Sophocles!?" There, was Sophocles dressed in a beast-like costume. He was rolling on the ground laughing with Sun. Kiawe sneered at the two and stormed off.

"Darn. It wasn't a Turtonator."

* * *

"Sun came back a week later but by then he was a completely different person. He talked funny and acted ruder than before. From what I know, Sun did some pretty awful things. Disturbed the peace, vandalized buildings, lingered around stores. He became a Team Skull grunt."

Sophocles went on, "It came to the point where Lana and Kiawe stopped associating with him. Then came Mallow and finally Lillie. But I never stopped considering him my friend. During the day that he came back he informed all of us to trust him."

"It seemed like I was the only one left. Everyone else lost faith in his words. I later discovered that it was all just a ruse and that Sun pretended to be a Team Skull Grunt so he could get close to Jenercocio and battle him alone. He was arrested after Sun tied him up and brought him to Officer Jenny. That led to Team Skull disbanding. But as you've seen a few times already, Team Skull is back together. I don't know who exactly reformed them but whoever it is must be persuasive to bring Team Skull together again. As far as I know, Sun only told me that he was leaving Alola to go to Kanto. He said how much he hated his friends for not trusting him at all. He was glad that at least one of his friends did, that being me."

"So he left because of them?" Ash concluded. Sophocles nodded solemnly.

"To this day, they still don't know the real reason why Sun left. I didn't have the courage to tell them. It angers me sometimes that our friends treated Sun like that. He's a great person." Sophocles gave Ash a sad smile. "I'm sure you'll like him."

"Wow." Ash remained speechless. He couldn't imagine his friends treat someone like that at all. It made him worry. "It's hard to believe but I trust your word." Sophocles felt better at his words. "Why are we going to Sun's house though?"

Sophocles saw the abandoned house up ahead. "I thought you'd like to see what's in there. So you could learn more about Sun before he comes back tomorrow. Also, I promised to keep his house in shape if he decided to come back. I'm happy that I did."

Ash and Sophocles carried on their conversation by talking about Ash's next trial. The lighthearted banter removed the tension in the air. The two approached the house and Sophocles pulled a key out of his pocket.

"Sun gave me the key." Ash nodded and motioned Sophocles to go forward. The shorter boy inserted the key and turned it. A click was heard and he grasped the doorknob. Sophocles was about to open the door until someone else opened it from the inside, startling both Sophocles and Ash.

"Ah!" Ash screamed. His eyes widened at the culprit. "Mallow!?"

Standing right in front of them was Mallow, who quickly hid something from behind her back. She was on edge after being caught by the two boys. To their surprise, her eyes were puffy red. Almost as if she was finished crying.

"What are you doing here?" Sophocles questioned, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"No reason!" Mallow spat out. She ran away before the two had a chance to find out her true motives.

"Strange," Ash said. Pikachu agreed with him. The two entered the house. Ash observed the interior decorations of the house.

"Mallow's known Sun the longest." Sophocles showed him a picture of the two at one of the tables. "She must've been hit the hardest after the whole ordeal. It explains her dislike towards Team Skull in general." He set the picture down.

Ash went off without his friend, examining the various picture frames on the wall. The first one he came across was a picture of Sun with his mother. Sun's apparel caused Ash to frown slightly. He compared his current appearance to Sun's. It was eerily similar, in fact it was practically the same clothes he was wearing. Same shirt, shorts, and shoes. The symbol on their hats were the same, although the color was different.

"I'm going to have to ask mom how she picked this outfit for me," Ash muttered to himself. He continued looking at various pictures. He saw Sun with his friends on each picture. They all were smiling in each one. It made Ash start to question his friends even more. He then turned to a large picture hanging in the center of the living room.

Sophocles noticed Ash's interest in it. "That was taken before the day that we were harassed by Team Skull. Sun was really prepared for the final trial."

The picture consisted of all four Island Kahunas, Hala, Olivia, and two other people Ash didn't recognize. The first was a older male with gray hair. His face could barely make out a smile but it was there when Ash further examined it. The other one was a short female with poofy black hair and gray eyes. There was also another boy next to Sun that Ash didn't know. He had dark skin and dark green hair that was tied up. The unknown boy bore a gigantic smile on his face. Finally, Ash spotted Lillie at Sun's other side.

"You might be wondering who they are, huh?" Sophocles somehow read Ash's mind. The Kanto native boy nodded. "The tall man over there is Nanu, Island Kahuna of Ula'ula Island. The shorter woman is Hapu, Kahuna of Poni Island. The guy next to Sun is Hau. Hau is one of Sun's closest friends because they took on every island trial together along with Lillie. She didn't participate but she stuck around as company. It's a shame that Hau decided to quit the island challenge after he found out that Sun went to Kanto. He had as much potential as Sun," Sophocles ended his explanation with a sad sigh.

Ash listened on intently. He now knew more about Sun's social life. Ash saw Sophocles motion him to follow him upstairs. The walk was completely silent. The shorter boy opened one of the doors once they arrived at the second floor.

The first thing that caught Ash's attention was the unlocked trunk that seemed to have been under the bed. Someone was in this room before.

"Take a look." Ash's attention switched to the small picture frame sitting on Sun's desk. It included Sun and his pokémon gathered up in one big group hug. All of his pokémon appeared to be fully evolved.

"Decidueye, Sun's starter pokémon. Sandslash, Sun's second pokémon. Ninetales, Sun's third pokémon. Glaceon, Sun's fourth pokémon. Froslass, Sun's fifth pokémon. Vanilluxe, Sun's sixth and final pokémon," Sophocles informed Ash of every pokémon present in the photo.

"For someone living in the hot temperatures of Alola, Sun sure is fond of ice-type pokémon," Ash mused.

Sophocles chuckled, "That's what I joked about every now and then. Sun was actually born in the Kanto region. He moved to Alola when he was three." Sophocles sat at the edge of Sun's bed.

Something caught Ash's eye. There was another pokémon in the picture. He couldn't make out what it exactly was due to it being behind Sun's back. He'd have to ask Sophocles or Sun about it later.

"Thanks for showing me all of this, Sophocles. It helped me get a better understanding of Sun before he arrives here tomorrow," Ash thanked his friend. "I want to make a good first impression. Maybe he'll agree to battle me!" Ash's eyes filled with excitement.

"I just hope things won't go as bad as I imagine them to be. Neither Sun nor our friends are on good terms."

"Why don't you tell them the truth?" Ash asked.

"I can't!" Sophocles almost shouted. "It's too much pressure to tell them. I don't want anyone to feel horrible but things are just as worse not telling them. I don't know what to do. Either way, Sun's still angry at them."

Pikachu hopped beside Sophocles and consoled him with a head rub to the arm. This action got a small smile from the shorter boy.

Ash was deep in thought. "Perhaps tomorrow is the best time to tell everyone. Professor Kukui doesn't know the truth as well. It'd be perfect since Sun will be there, too. The whole thing would be cleared up!" Ash spoke his mind. It made sense to him.

Sophocles placed a finger below his chin. "You know what? That might work. Worse thing that could happen is that no one would believe me. But having Sun there will clear up any misunderstanding! He can share his tales as a Team Skull member." Sophocles' mood brightened up.

"That's the spirit!" Ash patted him on the back. All of a sudden, a crash and the sound of glass breaking filled their ears. Sophocles jumped at the noise and turned to see Rotom hover over them.

"That's going to leave a mark. Bzzt!"

"Ah! Rotom! You can't break into other people's houses like that!" Ash scolded. Rotom frowned and floated towards the broken pieces of glass.

"Sorry, I was in a hurry. Your ride to Ula'ula Island is here and if you don't leave now you'll be left behind!"

Ash gasped and grabbed hold of both Pikachu and Rotom. "Oops! I forgot. See you later, Sophocles!" Ash dashed out of the room. The shorter boy heard the door slam shut below him.

"Well." He faced his Togedemaru. "We should head home. I got this neat invention that I want to show Sun when he comes back!" Already thinking ahead of him, Togedemaru scurried out of the room, with Sophocles following her.

Just then, a wild Pikipek fluttered into the room. The shattered window providing entrance to anyone. It made itself at home on Sun's bed. Soon, more wild pokemon entered the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kiawe, Lana, Lillie, and Mallow gathered up at the entrance of the school. They were coming up with ways to deal with the situation at hand.

"What are we going to do? What if Sun is tricking the professor and only using him for his own gain?" Lana expressed her concerns for the beloved professor.

Kiawe showed his uneasiness. "You might be on to something. It's just hard to believe how misguided Sun turned out to be. I guess anything can happen." Kiawe closed his eyes, trying to come up with a plan. His eyes lit up. "Mallow! You've known Sun the longest, have any idea how we should handle him?"

Mallow, having arrived a few minutes ago, squirmed at the many eyes watching her. She folded her arms and tilted her head away from her friends. "Why don't you ask Lillie? She, oh so loved Sun's mere presence." The bitter tone in her voice caused Lillie to flinch. Nevertheless, Lillie answered to the best of her ability.

"I-I think Hau is the guy to talk to."

"Nice thinking, Lillie!" Kiawe complimented. "Sophocles might be of assistance to us too but I'm not sure where he is."

Lana placed her hands on her hips. "Don't forget. Sophocles didn't listen to us when we told him to stop hanging around Sun," Lana reminded her group of friends.

Kiawe felt his eye twitch. "No need to get Sophocles into this. Let's just go find Hau and get the answers we need! Where's he at right now, Lillie?"

Lillie sported a smile that quickly wavered. "Probably at the Malasada Store."

"Then that's where we're going! Come on!" Kiawe ran in a random direction.

"He's at Iki Town!" Lillie shouted. Kiawe tripped at the mention of the town and jumped back up. He pulled out a poké ball and released his Charizard. "To Iki Town!" In a flash, Kiawe and his Charizard flew away.

Mallow grumbled slightly at being left behind. Her eyes landed on an Officer Jenny with her vehicle.

"Excuse me! Do you mind giving us a ride to Iki Town?"

* * *

Hau sat absentmindedly at the Malasada Store. In his hands was one of his favorite treats. Though, Hau ate it slowly. He wasn't in the best of moods. Truth be told, Hau's been like this for months. He forced himself to leave his house and get something to eat.

Hau was having a peaceful snack until the sound of shouting can be heard from above. The dark green haired boy looked up to see a fierce Charizard roaring. Much like any sane person would do, Hau yelped and jumped out of his seat. To make matters worse, the sound of a vehicle came from his left.

"All I wanted was some peace and quiet," Hau mumbled, losing the happiness in his voice. Ever since that fateful day, the day that Sun was gone.

"You there!" Kiawe hopped off his Charizard and ran up to Hau. "We require your assistance."

"We?" Hau asked. Kiawe nodded and pointed forward. Hau turned to see a familiar face. Though, he'd admit he wasn't all that joyful to see them.

"Hau," Lillie acknowledged Hau's presence. Hau discreetly gritted his teeth.

What most if not everyone didn't know, Sun informed Hau to trust him back when he was with Team Skull. Similar to Sophocles, Hau did just that. In the end, Sun explained his reason of becoming rogue. He made sure to include the part where only one other person trusted him. It came to a shock to Hau when he learned that Lillie of all people didn't have faith in Sun. As a result of Sun leaving, Hau started to doubt whether the friends he has are really his friends. That included Lillie.

"Hey…" Hau cautiously greeted.

"How are things going?" For whatever reason, Lillie's noticed that Hau acted differently around her. Distant to be more specific. She wanted to fix that.

"Good," Hau replied, finding interest at the sun in the sky.

Lillie faltered. "That's nice."

Mallow groaned, oblivious to the tense atmosphere. "Let me get to the point if you won't. Sun's coming back tomorrow."

Hau froze, letting the malasada in his hands fall to the ground. For the first time in almost a year, a humongous smile was plastered onto Hau's face.

"Really? That's awesome!" Hau shouted gleefully. He jumped high in the air, waving his arms up, and cheered. "Is that what this is all about? Did you all finally shed a new leaf?" His hopes died down by their appalled faces.

"What!? No way!" Mallow shrieked. "We need your insight of Sun so we can deal with him personally." Hau contemplated on what he was going to say next.

"Why not ask Lillie?"

Mallow let out an exasperated sigh. "Because she's too afraid to say anything and suggested that you were the best person." Lillie chose to stay silent at her response.

"Then why not you, Mallow? Weren't you like best friends with him? He's told me before that you two knew each other since you were both three!" Hau pointed out the facts that Sun mentioned from time to time.

"We're asking the questions!" Mallow noted aggressively. Her eyes threatening to water. "Just tell us what you know about that dirty Team Skull member."

Hau deadpanned. His eyes shifted between all of them. "Has he never told you all?" Their response was a series of confused expressions. Hau clapped his hands. "That's right. You don't get to know." Hau glared at the four, shocking them in the process. He grabbed his backpack and departed from the group.

"Wait, Hau!" Lillie caught up to Hau with worried eyes. "What's the matter?"

Hau gripped the straps of his backpack tighter. "All of you is what's the matter. Bye." Hau bid farewell and started making his way home. Thinking about Sun's return, the smile on his face came back and he practically sprinted the whole way home, eager to tidy up his room so Sun can come visit his house.

"Like the good old days."

Crestfallen, Lillie regrouped with the others sadly "Let's just go," She said quietly. "We'll figure it out eventually." Not waiting for a reply, Lillie hurried to Officer Jenny's vehicle, awaiting to go back home.

"Don't worry guys," Kiawe reassured his friends. "We'll think of something. We always do."

* * *

Sophocles excitingly entered the classroom first and sat on his seat. His Togedemaru made herself comfortable on his desk.

"Sun's coming here today! Oh boy, I can't wait!" Sophocles boisterously exclaimed. He was bouncing in his seat. "Too bad Ash can't be here. But I guess training to beat an island Kahuna is just as good." His eyes peered at the doorway, watching his classmates enter anxiously.

"Phew. He's not here yet." Kiawe relaxed his shoulders and got in his seat along with everyone else. "Curse our rotten luck that we couldn't think of a plan in time."

Mallow scoffed, "Maybe later. We have to be on guard." They chattered amongst themselves while Sophocles tapped his fingers on his desk nervously.

"Alola class!" Professor Kukui entered the classroom. "I hope you all had a good night's rest. I want you all on your best behavior now. No funny business. We're here to talk about very important matters and I want all of your support," Kukui lectured them. The class nodded despairingly, minus Sophocles.

Said boy stood at the top of his seat abruptly. "Everyone! I got an important announcement that I think you should all listen to. It's about Sun!" He projected his voice loudly.

"Have you finally come to terms with Sun's betrayal?"

"Join the club," Mallow grumbled. Professor Kukui sighed at his students impoliteness.

An exclamation mark appeared above Sophocles' head. "What!? No! What I'm trying to say is that Sun-"

A pokémon made its presence known by squawking loudly, causing the short boy to fall from his desk. He rubbed his head and groaned.

"Class. Please welcome back our fellow student, Sun-woah!" Kukui started off with the introductions but gasped with the class doing the same.

A figure walked nonchalantly inside. Their clothes consisted of a battered up black tank top and a pair of dirty black shorts. Their white shoes were muddy and their white hat had burn marks on the sides. The last noticeable thing that they were wearing was a necklace with a buckle that had the letter 'S' embedded with silver.

This was no doubt, Team Skull clothing.

A Decidueye stood beside the person. Eyes barely open, as if it didn't care where it was. The figure turned out to be a boy with unruly messy black hair the slithered down his shoulders. His dull blue eyes was fixated at the professor.

"Yo Professah Kukui, what's the haps? Sun's up in this school right now!"

 ** _Author's Note: This is just an idea I came up with after watching episode seventy four where Kukui says he wants to make a pokémon league for Alola. It's late in the series so there are only a few episodes following this chapter. This story will feature Sun and Moon's main character, Sun as a shut in of his former self. He'll make Ash an even stronger trainer since he already completed his trials. This chapter was mainly dialogue at the moment for background information. Next chapter will include the heated tension between Sun and his former friends. Stay tuned._**


	2. Meet Sun

**_Author's Note: I've decided to make a top A/N so I can clear up any questions that might come across before reading this chapter. First, Mallow and Sun are not romantically interested in each other. Although it was the initial plan to pair them up during the writing process, I scrapped it up. It might seem that way in some of these chapter; but I want to clear it up so there wouldn't be any thoughts about it._**

 ** _The second thing I want to address is that I didn't originally plan for this story to have romance in it. Hence why it says potential in the story summary. My other stories all dealt with romance so I wanted to steer away from that in this story. Regarding some of your reviews about pairing Ash with Mallow; I'm not sure. Mallow is a main character in my story since she'll be a big part of Sun's return to Alola. A close bond of friendship if you will. I want everyone to develop some more than they've been in the anime. But don't worry readers, I haven't ruled out the possibility of romance at all. In fact, it's up in the drawing board so don't worry. That means Mallow x Ash and Lillie x Sun or maybe if you readers come up with any other pairings for Sun or Ash._**

 ** _The third and final thing I want to talk about was to respond to some of your reviews about a certain topic. To Guest and EspadaJ18, yes we will be seeing some of Ash's other pokémon. Since Ash only has one slot available I've been thinking about who it should be. I'm not sure if Poipole is sticking around so we'll see if there can be two returns. Tell me what you think of these ideas and if you have any suggestions. I'll happily take it to consideration._**

 ** _To finish off this unnecessarily long A/N, I appreciate the support that this story has got. It makes my day seeing how much people like my story. It's becoming my best story of this site so thanks a bunch for the support!_** **_This chapter has more background information about Sun._**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

"Sun…" Professor Kukui didn't know what to say. He thought that Sun would've matured from this silly phase of his. When he met up with Sun back in Kanto, he was dressed in his usual attire. But now... now Sun decided to act up like a little child again. And for what? What was the point of pretending to be a Team Skull Grunt in the first place? He was going to have a stern talk with Sun after this.

"Yeah? Wassup gramps?" Sun said with little care. He scanned the room, expecting to see some kind of riot. "And you too, side characters. And Sophocles." He winked at his friend with a grin before glaring at the rest.

"Side characters!?" Kiawe roared, flames erupting from his eyes. He sat up from his seat and was about to make his way over to Sun.

"Kiawe!" Professor Kukui scolded. "Behave well for our guest!" Reluctantly, Kiawe sat back down.

"Listen ta ya teacher yo!" Sun pestered him, kicking a trash can full of trash. "He knows what's good for ya!"

Professor Kukui pinched the bridge of his nose. These kids were already going at it. This was not his way of starting an important meeting. The professor placed a hand on Sun's shoulder.

"As you all already know, Sun here is going to help me make my dream happen."

Sun pushed his hand off of him. "Chill with the hand contact yo. Wouldn't want the popo seeing ya." Sun snickered at his own joke. "But like ya teacher said, I am here to carry this operation together. Me and just only me!" Sun patted himself on the chest proudly.

"But we're also going to help-" Lana started but was interjected by the former island challenger.

"Shut it, water girl!" Sun hissed. "No side character is gonna overpass me." Sun made himself comfortable on the professor's desk. He lay down on the desk and aimlessly stared at the ceiling. "Spill it out professah."

"Okay." After the whole scene, Kukui clasped his hands together. "I'm sure you know how Alola works. Coming from someone who's beaten every trial and Kahuna, you were up next to be Island Champion. But ever since you quit the challenge, we've never had someone else come close to doing what you did," Professor Kukui explained the current situation.

Sun sat up, his expression softening. "What about Hau? He was one kahuna away from the final trial. Did he fail?" Sun asked, losing the obnoxious tone in his voice.

The professor shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Hau quit the island challenge all together shortly after you left Alola. From what Hala told me, Hau's been isolating himself in his house ever since." Professor Kukui noticed the change in Sun's mood.

"He… quit?" Sun repeated. "I got to go see him after this stupid meeting," Sun mumbled to himself. "Carry on professah."

Kukui folded his arms. "Its got me thinking. If no one can pass the final trial then how will Alola find its champion. Then it struck me. When we visited Kanto, I discovered pokémon leagues. They require you to earn eight badges from any gym in that region. Then a conference is held where the participants enter and begin a tournament. The number of people decrease as it goes on until it comes down to the final two. The winner is crowned champion of that region!" The professor finished his explanation. His glasses sparked with excitement.

Sun put on an arrogant smirk and puffed out his chest. "I don't mean ta brag but I actually competed in one in Kanto. No biggie." His mischievous tone caused the professor and his students to gasp.

"You did?!" Professor Kukui removed his hat and held it uncontrollably. "You've got to tell us all about it. So we can get a better understanding."

"Yeah, Sun! Tell us!" Sophocles said. "How far did you make it?"

Kiawe gritted his teeth. Now he had some more competition if Sun decides to join the Alola league too. Unlike his friendly rivalry with Ash, between Kiawe and Sun, it'd be more of a rivalry to one up each other without any remorse. Though, Kiawe was intrigued to learn more about leagues. He also wanted to find out how strong Sun became during the time that he was gone.

Sun's smirk stretched to the ends of his cheeks. "Ya know, runner-up isn't much to yap about yo! Only if ya are number one baby!"

"Runner-up!?" They all said at the same time.

Professor Kukui straightened his lab coat. "Wow. To think one of my former students almost won a pokémon league! Great job, Sun!" Kukui applauded Sun's performance.

The boy waved it off. "It's nothing really. Those fools didn't see me coming yo! They weren't prepared for an Alola native pokémon. Seeing my Alolan Sandshrew and Ninetales was a bombshell for them!" Sun chuckled, remembering the shocked faces of his opponents. "I even beat the champion from the last pokémon league. But I lost to someone named Assunta. She came prepared after doing some research on my pokémon. I respect her for that."

"So he beat a former champion," Kiawe grumbled under his breath. "Just how strong did he get?"

Professor Kukui leaned against the chalkboard, shaking excitingly. "That's fantastic! With this knowledge it'll make my dream happen much easier!" He calmed himself down. "The first thing to think about are the rules. We can't have people participate since they haven't even beaten all the kahunas. We'll have to find a way for people to qualify. And if we do follow that route, it'll sure take a while."

Sun gazed out the classroom, catching a glimpse of the school entrance. "Only strong trainers should be able to qualify yo! Sorry not sorry, but you three might as well tune out this meeting," Sun said, pointing at Mallow, Lana, and Lillie. Kiawe was mildly irked by this. He called his friends weak but he also called Kiawe a strong trainer without saying it.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Mallow fumed. "Are you saying that because we're girls!? Huh!?" More anger fueled inside of Mallow when Sun eyed her strangely.

"Nah. You three only have one pokémon. Take it easy green." Sun turned his back against her and directed his focus on the professor.

"Hey! I'm talking to you stupid! Did you lose your hearing from all those Team Skull orders?" Mallow said darkly.

"As naive as ever green!" Sun hissed. Before a fight could break out, Professor Kukui called out to everyone.

"Let's get back on track. So Sun, how do you think we should handle this? How did the procedure go back in the Kanto pokémom league?" Sun was about to answer but stopped himself in favor of glaring at Mallow.

"With all due respect, professor," Mallow interrupted, her hand in the air. "How is having that moron here going to help? He hasn't said anything useful at all." Everyone gasped at her comment. That sure was a way to say it.

Sun faltered but quickly regained himself. "Yeah, but you're wearing the moron's gift," Sun retorted with a glare. In a flash, Mallow hid the flower from her hair. The glaring between the two former childhood friends intensified.

"That's enough!" Professor Kukui bellowed. "I've had it with all of your behavior. Sun, you're going to sit at your old desk, right now," He growled, pointing to Sun's former desk.

"Ya ain't my teacher anym-" One hardened look from the professor was all it took for Sun to finally cave in. "Oh alright professah." Sun glumly went to his desk, his Decidueye following him.

"Stop talking like some kind of Team Skull reject, too. In case you haven't heard, they don't talk like that anymore so drop it."

Sun pouted, "B-but it's who I am!"

"No it is not. And get rid of those rags when we're finished here."

"Not my prized clothing!" Sun protested.

"Your prized clothing is dirty to the core. You're getting rid of it and that's final." Kukui asserted himself as head of the classroom. He got a bit irritated when Sun barged in and acted like he owned the place. Now he was taking charge once more.

"Serves you right," Mallow smugly said as she saw Sun's disappointed face.

"Says the poster girl for some downbeat restaurant that'll go out of business before she comes of age!" Sun fired back.

"At least I wasn't named by a big dumb massive star. What made your mother even pick that ridiculous name for her failure of a son!" Mallow snapped, slamming her fist on her desk.

"Says ya! You're named after some diggity dirty plant that no one even knows! At least being named after something ya can see wherever ya go makes you memorable. Can't say the same about you yo!" Sun turned his chair over so he could intimidate her with his glare.

Unfortunately for Sun, _it wasn't very effective._

"What's memorable about some trainer that gave up his opportunity at becoming island champion in favor of being a Team Skull reject!" By now, both Mallow and Sun were standing up. They could explode at any moment.

"Shut it, spinach hair!"

"Island challenger reject!"

"Awful cook that'll never surpass her brother!"

"Terrible trainer that wouldn't have beaten the final trial!"

"Former trial captain that got downgraded to a student in school!"

"I was never a trial captain dummy!"

"Whoops. Wrong universe. Uh… overalls obsessed weirdo!"

The two former friends were trading insults back and forth. Mallow's Steenee attempted to argue with Sun's Decidueye but he kept on ignoring her. This aggravated Steenee even more.

"Oh man." Sophocles winced at the words being exchanged. His hopes of Sun's arrival being a peaceful one died the instant that Sun came into the classroom. Now, Sophocles wasn't sure if this was the time to share his big announcement.

"Wow." Kiawe's jaw fell to the floor. He didn't know that either of them were capable of such crude insults. He could feel his chest sting at each one. That's how powerful it felt hearing it.

"Poor Mallow." Lana covered her mouth with a hand. She believed it must've hurt hearing a her former childhood friend say all those mean things. It was as if this pent of frustration was built for more than a year at least. Lana would know, being one of Mallow's close friends. She shared just about everything with her and vice versa.

"Hmm." Lillie remained silent. She hummed, observing the fight in front of her.

"Enough!" Professor Kukui stomped his foot to the ground. Everyone jumped at the loud noise. Their professor rarely yelled or got angry. Seeing it firsthand was frightening to say the least. "Apparently no one knows what a civil conversation means anymore. This was very serious topic and you two ruined it. No, all of you." The disappointment in his eyes caused almost everyone to be guilty.

"Whatever," Sun scoffed. "If ya don't need me then I'll just bounce back to Kanto. People actually appreciate me there yo!" Sun's Decidueye squawked, irritated. "Oh, and you guys too." The boy petted his Decidueye.

"Then go! No one wants you here!" Mallow shouted. Her finger pointed to the doorway.

"Maybe I will!"

"Fine!"

"Double fine!"

"Triple fine!"

"Infinity times infinity fi-"

"That's it!" Mallow and Sun cowered in their seats when the professor yelled. "You two, follow me!" Professor Kukui headed to the doorway. Neither Mallow nor Sun budged an inch.

"Gah! Hey!" Sun was forced off his seat by Decidueye.

"Hey!" Mallow was met with the same fate. Decidueye, annoyed by their childish behavior, decided to take things in his own hands… talons. He flew up and dragged the two by the hem of their shirts. Steenee was screeching at the arrow quill pokémon to let go of her trainer. Decidueye ignored her and followed the professor out the doorway.

"So…" Kiawe coughed. "Anyone up for a practice battle?"

Lana, Lillie, and Sophocles sweatdropped at the grinning Kiawe.

 ** _Outside the classroom..._**

"Professor, this isn't necessary."

"No arguing. You brought this upon yourself."

"It pains me to say this but I agree with her yo."

Currently, Sun and Mallow are being forced to face each other. They sat at opposite ends of the hall with the professor in the middle. Their respective pokémon kept the two in their seats.

Professor Kukui crossed his arms. He wasn't a counselor by any means but he was confident enough that his plan will work. Honestly, he just wanted the two kids to stop yapping their mouths off.

He surveyed the clipboard in his hands. "Here's what we're going to do. You two are going to talk it out like mature adults. Clear all the tension between you two." He smiled broadly. It was a foolproof plan!

"No way!" Sun exclaimed.

"I don't want to talk to that jerk!" Mallow added in, equally disgusted by the idea.

A glint shined off of Kukui's glasses. He was prepared for this. "Jerk, huh. Quite a bold word for someone you been close to for most of your life," Professor Kukui acknowledged, a grin present on his face when he saw her flinch. "Care changing your mind yet?"

"Hmph!" Mallow turned the other way.

"What about you, Sun?" Kukui focused his attention on the former island challenger. "Do you want to talk to your oldest friend? You know, the one you've been hanging out with since you were three." Sun narrowed his eyes at the professor. It was obvious to him that he was trying to guilt trip him.

"No," Sun refused simply.

Professor Kukui hummed, "We surely can't have you two leaving with clearing up the air. The question is, how to make this more interesting…" A light bulb popped on top of Kukui's head. "I got it. Follow me back inside the classroom students."

The three headed back to the classroom. Mallow stole glances to Sun while they were walking. He had changed so much since they first met. From the lost boy who had just moved to Alola to a rogue trainer. If you asked Mallow two years ago if she thought Sun was a bad person she would've laughed at your face. Sun would never hurt a fly. That was who he was. The type of person who was always outgoing. Always there when you needed him.

 _'Until she came…'_ Mallow thought bitterly. She shook her head, no need to be fretting about the ordeal anymore. Sun showed his true colors. What's there to talk about anymore?

"Here goes nothing." Professor Kukui drummed his fingers on the wall beside the open doorway. "Abra kadabra. Kukui-kazam! Make this room turned into a game show wabam!" A mysterious poof of smoke blew past the doorway. "Step right in!" The professor gestured them to head in.

"What the heck!?" Sun's eyes turned to the size of plates. Somehow, someway, Kukui managed to transform the classroom into a... game show?

Bright lights shined brightly, the floor was sparkly. Two stands were at the front of the room. At the back, Kiawe, Lana, Lillie and Sophocles stood behind a small wall barrier. They acted as an audience.

"Go Sun!" Sophocles cheered, holding up a poster with a sun in it.

"Mallow for the win!" Kiawe pumped his fist to the air.

"Yay, Mallow!" Lana cooed. She wore a shirt with Mallow's face plastered on it. Lillie didn't do anything. Her face was hard to understand. She wasn't rooting for anyone.

Mallow played along, hiding her immense confusion. "A game show?! Don't worry guys! I'll beat this island challenger reject!" She boasted, taking her place behind one of the stands.

"Puh-lease! Sun's da one aiming for the victory royale!" Sun gloated, returning back to his previous voice. He pounced to his stand, almost toppling it over but still managing to play it cool.

"I'm your game show host, Professor Kukui!" The professor announced. He was now sporting a tuxedo. "And welcome to... Besties!"

"What?" Sun deadpanned. "Besties? Da heck kinda name is that?"

Mallow scrunched up her face. "I see. You're trying to make us talk to each other in the form of a game show!"

The host chuckled, "You're on to it. But at least let it play out for a while." Kukui turned to the audience and flashed his pearl white teeth. "Now then. Here are the rules! I'm going to ask the two of you a series of questions that you'll have to answer about each other. Any questions before we begin?" He asked.

"Yeah, I have one. Can I leave this stinkin' ga-"

"First question!" The host interjected, much to the annoyance of Sun. "This is for you, Sun. What is Mallow's favorite color?"

Sun suddenly smirked deviously. An evil masterminded idea forming in his mind. "Black. It's the color of all her burnt dishes that she's made over the years!" Sun burst into a fit of laughter.

"Why you…"

Professor Kukui frowned. "Wrong. It's green. To you, Mallow. What is Sun's favorite hobby?"

Mallow gave a smirk of her own. Payback was to be ensured. "Why, Sun's favorite hobby is being a mommy's boy! He loves it when his mommy kisses him on the cheek." Mallow made a kissy face. She grinned when she heard Kiawe chuckle at her response.

The host threw one of his cards down. "That's incorrect. It's training with his pokémon. Here's your question Sun, what's Mallow's favorite pokémon?"

"That's easy!" Sun quickly replied. "It's Trubbish! She likes it because it reminds her of all her dishes."

Sophocles attempted to hold back a snicker but failed miserably. Even if Mallow was his friend, the joke was funny in general.

"Wrong," Kukui grumbled. "It's Tsareena. Fourth question. Mallow, what is Sun's favorite food?"

Mallow nonchalantly checked her fingernails. "His own ego. Because he's so full of it."

The host slammed his remaining cards to the floor. "Wrong. Wrong. Wrong! You two still don't want to get along. How about this. If you don't play seriously then I'm going to have to expel you both!" He barked. Kukui was done playing games. In truth, he was bluffing about the whole expulsion thing. He was one hundred percent sure that it'll work though.

"You can't do that!" Lana shrieked. Kiawe and Sophocles firmly nodded beside her while Lillie stayed where she was.

"Quiet. Or you'll join them." Thrill rushed through the veins of the professor. It was so much easier having insubordinate students do what they are told when expulsion was in mind. He'll have to keep that for future references.

"Okay! Okay! I'll answer fair." Mallow gave in. She wasn't going to get kicked out of school. Being without her friends was something she couldn't live without. She'd have to go full time at the family restaurant. Not that she hated her family or anything but she wasn't ready for that type of responsibility yet.

"So? I'm not even enrolled in this school anymore!" Sun pointed out mischievously. It provided him more time to make fun of Mallow in front of them without suffering any consequences. And she couldn't say anything back!

"That may be, but if you don't participate truthfully then I'm going to have to inform your mother about this," Professor Kukui threatened, his hands on his hips.

It was dead silent for ten seconds. Sun's pupils dilating. He fell to his knees.

"No! Please! Anything but that!" Sun pleaded. "I'll play your dumb game. Just don't say anything about my attitude to my mother!" The boy slumped back to his stand. His face still filled with horror.

"Great to see that we're all on the same page!" Professor Kukui said cheerfully to his depressed contestants. "We're going back to you, Sun. Here's your second chance. What is Mallow's favorite place?"

Sun looked at the host and then at his stand. He refused to meet any of their eyes. "Her family's restaurant."

"And why is that?" The host pressed on.

"Because it's where she works with her family."

"Why else?"

Sun took a deep breath. He tugged the collar of his damaged tank top. "It's where we met," He admitted in defeat.

 **Flashback**

Sun and his parents stared up at the restaurant. They were still pretty new to the region and decided to try out some of its exotic foods.

"Aina's Kitchen," Sun's mom read the sign. _(A/N: I'm sticking to the Japanese name.)_ "I hope the foods good dear."

Sun's dad chuckled heartily, "Of course it'll be good. Why else did my co-worker recommend it to me? Ain't that right, Sun?"

"Food!" Three year old Sun chirped. The two parents laughed at his response and entered the restaurant. They sat at one of the many tables. The three were one of the first ones there.

"Hello!" A man with ash green hair. He wore a red cloth tied around his neck. "Welcome to Aina's Kitchen. My name is Abe. What can I get you to drink?" He asked politely.

Sun's mother looked over the menu. "I'll be having the pineapp juice please!"

"Same here!" Sun's dad added in. "What about you, Sun? What will you like?"

Sun fidgeted his fingers shyly. "I… I… I don't know… s-sir," Sun stuttered.

"Say." Abe gently smiled at him. "I'm sure you'll enjoy some of our finest orange juices. Squeezed freshly from oranges itself!" He mimicked the action by twisting his hands.

Sun meekly nodded. "Y-yes please."

"Great! I'll be back with your drinks and take your orders." Abe walked to the kitchen.

"Oh Sun, you shouldn't be shy. These people are really nice." Sun's dad ruffled his son's hair, eliciting a giggle from him.

Abe prepared to make their drinks. Grabbing a pair of pineapples and some oranges, he began squeezing their juice out.

"Dad!" A three year old Mallow tugged her father's apron. "Can I help? Pretty please!" She pleaded with her best puppy dog eyes. She's always been wanting to help her father run the restaurant like her brother. Alas, they would tell her that she was too young.

Abe smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm. "I won't allow you squeeze the fruit, Mallow." Abe finished squeezing the fruit and put in some honey in a container filled with the pineapple juice. "But tell you what. How about I let you bring these drinks to our customers." The man poured the pineapp juice in two glasses. He then poured the orange juice in a foam cup and put the lid and straw in.

"Yay!" Mallow cheered. "Thank you dad!" Mallow attempted to grab the tray of drinks but felt it wobble in her grasp.

Abe caught the tray in time. "Hmm. This is too heavy for you to carry on your own." He handed her the foam cup. "Here. Take this to our customer. He's about your age so you shouldn't miss him." Abe laughed when Mallow's eyes sparkled. His daughter did like making friends.

"Right away!" Mallow gripped the foam cup with two hands and steadily made her way to the thirsty customer. She went slow to make sure that she didn't spill or drop it.

Abe made his way over to the customers faster. "Here you go. Enjoy your drinks." The two thanked Abe for their drinks. He saw Sun's lost expression. "My daughter, Mallow is coming with your drink." On queue, Mallow came to view. She concentrated on the drink as she walked.

After what seemed for like forever, Mallow finally made it to their table. By then, Abe already received their orders and returned back to the kitchen.

"Here you go!" Mallow set the drink on the table and beamed at Sun. The boy hid his face with his hair and slowly slid the drink towards him.

"T-thank you," He mumbled shyly. The two parents talked amongst themselves. Sun sipped his drink. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Mallow still in the same spot she was in. "W-what?"

"Nothing!" Mallow replied, showing her teeth as she smiled. Sun couldn't focus on his drink with her watching him strangely. It creeped him out. "My name's Mallow! What's yours?"

Being polite, Sun answered, "Sun."

Mallow giggled, "Sun. That's a really cool name!" Mallow complimented. Her smile slightly wavered when Sun used his hair to hide his flushed face. She was going to find some way to break him out of his shell.

"What's your favorite color? Mine is green!"

"Blue."

"Hmm." Mallow thought of something else. "Do you like pokémon?" As planned, a big smile formed on Sun's face.

"Yes! I want to be a pokémon trainer! Just like dad!" He exclaimed eagerly. Mallow giggled at how his shyness went away. Abe came back to the table and set down their respective meals.

"Ooh! Vegetable stew! That's a good one, Sun!" Mallow said when she saw his order.

"Let's let these people eat, Mallow. You can come watch me prepare orders for the next customers," Abe acknowledged the other customers that came in when Mallow was talking with Sun.

"Okay dad!" Mallow followed her father back in the kitchen. It was fun watching her father work his magic. But lately, Mallow's been wanting to do more. After ten minutes have passed, Mallow sighed. Boredom consumed her. She poked her head out the kitchen and saw Sun and his parents standing up.

"Dad! Those people are finished with their meal!" Mallow said.

"I got to go give them their bill." Abe wiped his hands with a clean rag and met up with Sun's parents at the front counter. Mallow skipped to Sun.

"Where are you going?" Mallow asked him.

"The park," Sun replied, finding interest in his shirt.

"The park?! Dad, can I go too?" Mallow had enough of watching her father and wanted to do something fun. Being at the playground always brightened her mood.

"Sure you can. Do you two mind watching my daughter for me? I know it must not be entertaining for her to sit around all day."

Sun's dad nodded. "Of course she can. It'll be nice for Sun to finally start making friends. We're still pretty new to Alola but I'm sure we'll get used to it. Everyone's so nice around here. Mallow's even got Sun to break away from his shyness. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other a lot more often." He and Abe shook hands.

"Thank you again. You be on your best behavior Mallow," Abe said to his daughter.

Mallow jumped happily. "I will dad! Come on, Sun!" She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out the door and to the direction of the park. The three adults laughed at Sun's horrified face as Mallow pulled him with her.

And thus was the start of a seven year long friendship.

 **Present**

Professor Kukui nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Correct. Here's your question, Mallow, what is Sun's greatest achievement?"

Mallow's eyes grew alarmed. "Uh… well completing his trials. Obviously," She answered.

The host could see his student/contestant shaking. He had to dig in more to find the core of their quarrel. "That is right. Let me ask you this, how did you feel about it? What were your initial thoughts when he first set off on his island challenge?" Professor Kukui dropped the game show act. His caring side coming into play. He expected the question to be answered easily.

"Happy," She responded.

Sun pretended not to be interested in the conversation. He wasn't too fond whenever the topic of his island challenge was brought up but the way his former friend answered concerned him.

Not that he cared.

Professor Kukui caught this too. Intrigued, he recalled more of the past so that he could badger her with questions. "Happy? Hmm. What about when he invited you to come along with him? Why'd you turn it down?"

Mallow straightened up, not expecting the question. In fact, she was perplexed. "Sun never invited me." Her head felt dizzy. What did he mean invite?

Professor Kukui tilted his head towards Sun. "Sun?"

By now, Sun was fidgeting behind his stand. He was extremely uncomfortable from talking about the past. He had no choice. Facing his mother's wrath was something Sun didn't want to cross paths with again.

"It was the week before I left. I came by the restaurant and asked you if you wanted to tag along. You didn't say anything so I took it as a no. I took blondie there with me instead." Sun shrugged. It was strange during that time. It didn't make any sense why his former friend didn't say a word. They practically did everything together. He soon realised that it was because she wasn't really his friend. Which was the exact reason why he stopped associating with almost everyone he called a friend except for Sophocles. If no one but Sophocles trusted him then what was the point in hanging around with them?

"You… did?" Mallow spoke.

Kukui's glasses gleamed brightly. He was piecing in his conclusion. "Here's your next question. Mallow, how did you feel after Sun came back. That day he came back to Melemele Island after beating the fourth island kahuna, Hapu?"

"Betrayed," Mallow replied with no emotion in her voice.

"Betrayed?" Sun said to himself quietly. What is she on about? Painfully remembering back to those bitter memories, the professor threw a party to congratulate Sun's accomplishment. Everyone was happy, including Mallow. Right?

"I believe I got it figured out. Tell me this, does this feeling of betrayal have to do with one of those four?" Professor Kukui asked, indicating to the four students in the back.

"Yes!" Mallow snarled, surprising everyone with her newfound anger. "It's because of-"

"Professor Kukui!" Someone's thumping footsteps barged right in, interrupting Mallow in the process. The whole game show vibe in the classroom disappeared. The perpetrator was running too fast and lost their footing, faceplanting to the floor.

"Idiot," Sun snorted. His eyes sharpened at the new person in the classroom.

"Ash!" The professor ran up to check on his student. "I thought you were suppose to be training at Ula'ula Island for your battle against Nanu."

Ash rubbed his nose painfully. His Pikachu luckily hopped off his trainer in the nick of time.

"I came back to see someone. Where is…" Ash finally saw the person he was looking for. The Team Skull clothing made him jump. But then he recognized the person's face by the pictures he saw yesterday.

"Sun."

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Quick Author's Note: Next chapter will mainly focus on Ash and Sun. And yes, they'll have a battle. Expect an update before the week ends. Stay tuned!_**


	3. Sunny with a Chance of Battles

**_Author's Note: Here I am again with an author's note! It won't be as long as before. The possible romances are still in my head. I'm still not sure so I'm going to make a final decision whenever I feel is right. That may happen sooner than you expect. Keyword; may. Sun's possible love interest might change too, but keeping it is higher than changing it. Onto the chapter itself, it solely focuses on battles. Three to be exact. I hope you don't expect a lot, I'm not that confident in it so let me know your thoughts. I love the support this story is getting. It may seem not like that big of deal to you all, but I'm really happy about the results since my other stories haven't been doing so hot. So just a thanks again and hope you all enjoy the chapter._**

 ** _Quick question to you all: Should Moon be in the story_** ** _too?_**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

"Hmm?" Sun faced the person that said his name. His eyes scanned Ash's clothing. "Did ya steal my clothes yo? I hate 'em doppelgangers," Sun muttered. It was basically the same thing that he used to wear minus the color of the hat.

Ash examined Sun as well. "So you're Sun? Well." He stuck out his hand. "It's nice to meet you! My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm from Pallet Town." His attention turned to his partner on his shoulder. "And this is my partner, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" The mouse pokémon squeaked happily.

"Ash, don't!" Kiawe warned. He wanted to look out for his friend and not get him in the wrong crowd. He didn't want Ash to turn up like Sun.

"Stay away from him!" Mallow added in. "He'll backstab you when you least expect it." Mallow and Kiawe's eyes switched over to Lana.

"Uh… what they said," Lana piped up with a sheepish smile. Mallow and Kiawe facepalmed at their friend's behavior. Then they turned their attention to Lillie. The blonde girl didn't pay them to mind. She kept herself busy playing with Snowy. That only left one more person.

"Ash!" Sophocles hopped out of his seat to join the two.

Meanwhile, Sun stared at Ash questionably. If Sophocles was on good terms with him then he couldn't be that bad. Plus, he ignored the others words. That scored him some extra points.

Sun grinned and held out a fist. "What's the haps, Ash Ketchum? It's nice ta hear where you are from. Even if you're a doppelganger looking for a coolness jump. Let's let it slide and settle it with a fist bump!" Sun scratched his head with his other hand. "I didn't mean for that to rhyme yo!"

Ash, masking his confusion, bumped Sun's fist. "Nice to meet you, Sun. I've heard a lot about you since yesterday."

"Since yesterday?" Sun inquired. "Ya telling me that you've neva heard 'bout the almighty Sun until yesterday? Watcha been teachin' this class professah?"

Professor Kukui groaned, "Please do drop the Team Skull act. I already told you, they don't even talk like that anymore. Leave a good impression on Ash."

Ash raised a finger. "Not that I'm trying to sound rude or anything but what's up with the get-up? I thought Team Skull were the bad guys," Ash pointed out Sun's Team Skull attire.

"Never mind that." Sun brushed it off, listening to the professor's advice. "But we really do need to talk about your style of clothing. Seems a bit familiar if you ask me."

Professor Kukui sighed, "Yes Sun, we get it. Mind telling us why you're here, Ash? I know training to beat an Island Kahuna couldn't have been that short," Kukui said as Sun and Sophocles sparked a conversation.

Ash nodded. "Right, professor. I came here to see Sun!"

"And do tell why do you need to see Sun so urgently?"

The Kanto native boy adjusted his hat and faced Sun. A determined grin on his face. "I challenge you, Sun, to a pokémon battle!" Ash challenged.

Sun stopped his conversation and glanced at Ash. Doing a final intake of the boy, Sun shook his head. "You're not ready," He denied Ash's challenge.

"There it is again!" Ash exclaimed. Frustration building up. "That's what Nanu told me when I tried to challenge his trial."

"Nanu, eh?" Sun raised an eyebrow. "How hard did he crush you?" Seeing Ash's look of disappointment was the answer he needed. "If you can't beat Nanu then what chance do you have beating me?"

Mallow stood by Ash's side. "Hey! Don't be a jerk to Ash! He has every right to challenge you to a battle. Don't call him weak either because he's been through a lot more than you have!" Mallow defended.

What Mallow didn't expect was for Sun to stare down at his hands. They were shaking madly.

"I don't know about that," Sun whispered softly. Sophocles patted him on the arm. A small smile formed on Sun's face at the gesture. "My point still stands."

Kiawe and Lana sided with Ash. "Ash is stronger than you think he is! We've been through a lot together. We've even entangled with Ultra Beasts ourselves. We all held our position as strong trainers!" Kiawe informed the former island challenger.

"Yeah! Ash just so happens to have an Ultra Beast with him! And he's been the owner of seven different types of z-crystals. Three of them happen to be specific z-crystals for three certain pokémon!" Lana backed Ash up. Her smug look faded when she saw Sun snort.

"So? He has all of those but I still know that he's not ready." Sun put his foot down. "Besides, he's not the only one with z-crystals in case you forgot." He showed them his z-power ring proudly.

"Test me," Ash finally said. "Test me so you can truly prove if I'm ready or not."

Sun looked impressed at his determination. "I guess I can. Professor, you mind if we postpone this meeting to tomorrow?"

Kukui thought about this. He smiled at him. "Not at all. If it means bonding with my student then be my guest!"

Sun headed out the doorway. "Great. Follow me, Ash Ketchum. You're free to watch, Sophocles." Sun's Decidueye flew and caught up with his trainer. Sophocles eagerly sprinted in tow with his Togedemaru.

Before Ash could follow, Kiawe gripped his shoulder. "I'm telling you Ash, Sun's bad news," Kiawe reminded him.

"He can't be trusted, Ash. He's worked with Team Skull in the past! That should be enough proof," Mallow chimed in.

Ash shook Kiawe's hand off his shoulder. Since he knew the whole story of Sun going rogue, he didn't believe a word that his friends were saying. To say the least, it irked him that they were trying to keep him from making a new friend.

"Come on, Pikachu," Ash said cooly. With that, only Professor Kukui and his remaining students were inside the classroom.

"We should keep an eye on Sun. Who knows what he's up to," Kiawe declared. His body froze when Lillie was already out the doorway with Snowy. "Lillie's got the right idea. Let's go!" Kiawe, Lana, and Mallow hustled out the classroom.

Professor Kiawe sighed, and cleaned his glasses. "I'm sure I'll figure out what's the deal with my students and Sun. Then they'll actually get along. It's the only way for us as a whole to work together and make my dream happen."

 ** _Outside the school..._**

"First things first!" Sun barked. He led Ash to the front of the school. This is where he'll test him. "I want to see your pokémon. Here, I'll show you mine first."

Sun gripped three pokéballs on one hand and two on the other. "Come on out!" He tossed them to the air and released his ice-type pokémon.

Sandslash wiggled his nose and scanned the area. The school was all too familiar to him. Glaceon yawned and made herself comfortable on the grass. Froslass and Decidueye hovered next to Sun. Boredom read on their faces. Vanilluxe flew left and right, ecstatic from being at the familiar location. Finally, Ninetales sat elegantly behind Sun. Her fur swaying with the gentle breeze.

"Wow. It's awesome seeing them in person!" Ash beamed. "It's my turn now!" Ash threw three pokeballs to the air. Lycanroc howled while Rowlett resumed his nap. Torracat meowed ferociously. "Poipole is here somewhere." Like magic, Poipole appeared on top of Ash. It giggled childishly and went straight to Pikachu. It started playing with the mouse pokémon.

"Hmm," Sun hummed. He observed each pokémon. After two minutes, Sun crossed his arms. "As I said. You're not ready."

"What?" Ash replied, astonished by his statement not changing one bit.

"Look at your team. They're a mess," Sun said harshly. "That Rowlett is lazy. No way it can handle one of my pokémon before falling asleep. That Ultra Beast you have is too playful. Has it even been in a battle? It seems too innocent to me. That Lycanroc has that look in its eye. I've seen it before. Can it control itself properly? I'm steering towards no. Your Torracat might be deemed decent but it's weak. Maybe a week's worth of non-stop training might raise that repertoire. Only that Pikachu is worthy for a battle," Sun finished with a face that showed no remorse.

Ash gritted his teeth. He didn't like that someone was criticizing his team. "I'll prove it to you. My whole team is strong!"

"I'll only battle the Pikachu. You don't even have a full team. Take it or leave it."

Sun turned to his own team, thinking about who he'll have battle Pikachu.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu glanced back at Ash. As if demanding to battle with one of Sun's pokémon.

Ash sighed, "It's better than nothing. Okay! I accept your challenge!" Ash and Pikachu got into battle stance.

"Excellent. Then I'll choose…" Sun pointed his finger towards their direction "Ninetales! Show them what you're made of girl!"

Ninetales nodded affirmatively and trotted closer to her opponent. Her serious expression caused Pikachu to narrow his eyes. This battle will surely be a tough one.

 **Former Team Skull Grunt Sun vs. Veteran Pokémon Trainer Ash!**

"Ready when you are." Sun let Ash have the first move.

"Okay! Pikachu, start this off with Quick Attack!" Pikachu bolted towards Ninetales, gaining momentum as he charged to her.

"Dodge it!" Ninetales jumped to the air, avoiding the attack. "Now use Ice Shard!" While still in the air, Ninetales released a barrage of ice shards* from within her mouth and aimed it down at Pikachu.

"Quick, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt to get rid of those ice shards!" Ash commanded. Pikachu unleashed bolts of electricity from his body and directed it to the many ice shards headed his way. They all exploded on impact.

Ash heard Sun clap. He saw the boy tapping his feet to the ground.

"I must say that was some quick thinking, Ash. Looks like I have to battle seriously," Sun addressed Ash's counter with an impressed look on his face.

Ash grasped his hat with two fingers. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Let's both give it our all!"

On the outside of the imaginary battlefield, the five other students conversed with each other. Lillie on the other hand, was a few feet away from her friends. She held Snowy while she spectated the battle.

"Ash has got to win. Sun's ego will only build up if he somehow comes out on top," Mallow said worriedly.

Kiawe was deep in thought. He scratched the scalp of his hair. "By all means I want Ash to win. However, if you think logically there's a high chance that Sun will win." He went on when they stared at him expectantly waiting for an explanation. "Look at it this way. From what Ash told us he's competed in pokémon leagues in six different regions. That's an impressive feat on its own. But he always wants to start fresh and leaves his pokémon behind besides Pikachu. Sun's never steered away from his team. He trains them whenever he has the chance to. Sun's pokémon has a lot more experience than Ash's. Pikachu will put on a fight, but I'm not sure if that's enough."

Mallow pouted and gazed at the two opponents. Kiawe did have a point. "I guess you have a point. But I still want Sun to lose! What about you, Lana. What do you think about the battle." Hearing no response, Kiawe raised an eyebrow and stared at Lana, who was eyeing the battle closely. "Lana?"

"Huh!?" Lana squeaked. She almost lost her footing. "W-what is it?" For some odd reason, her cheeks flared bright red.

"What are your thoughts about the outcome of the battle?" Kiawe repeated.

"O-oh, the battle! Ash should win. Sun's the worst. You know, the usual." Lana tried to give off an innocent vibe.

"Okay…" Kiawe suspiciously hummed and pursed his lips. "Sophocles?"

Sophocles' attention was on the battle but he heard Kiawe's question. "Definitely Sun. No offense to Ash, but Sun has the upper hand with all that training he puts into his pokémon. I haven't seen Ash train as vigorously as Sun during his time in Alola."

Kiawe nodded, satisfied with the answer. He was about to ask Lillie the same thing but chose against it. The blonde hadn't said much after Sun's arrival so who says that she'd say something now? He shifted his focus back to the battle at hand.

"Ice Beam!" Sun yelled. Ninetales charged up her attack and shot a ray of ice from her mouth.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Once again, Pikachu used his Thunderbolt to counter one of Ninetales' attacks. "Now Quick Attack!" Pikachu went in for the attack again.

"Let Pikachu get close!" Sun ordered. Ninetales sat on her haunches as Pikachu inched closer to her.

"Is he trying to take in the attack?!" Kiawe couldn't believe his eyes. What was Sun's plan?

Pikachu leapt in the air and launched himself to Ninetales' direction.

"Sidestep and then grab his tail!"

"What!?" Ninetales stepped out of the way, letting Pikachu fly right past her. Then she took a bite on his tail. "Pikachu, wiggle out of there!" The mouse pokémon squirmed his body but Ninetales had a firm grip on his tail.

"Great! Now use Frost Breath!" A smokey white substance slithered its way from the fox pokémon's mouth and surrounded Pikachu's whole body. A very thin layer of ice embedded itself on Pikachu's body. "Release him up in the air!" Ninetales flung Pikachu in the air as high as she could.

"Pikachu! Get out of there!" Ash called out. Pikachu tried to move but to no avail. The ice on his body made it impossible for him.

"Now go in for another Ice Beam!" Ash watched helplessly as his frozen Pikachu was struck by the beam of ice. It managed to crack the ice on Pikachu in the process. The electric-type pokémon fell all the way to the ground with a hard thud.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out, fearing that the battle was over. Pikachu slowly picked himself up. He kept on staggering to balance himself. Eventually, Pikachu got into battle stance again.

"I'm impressed. Most of my opponents go down by this rate." Sun clicked his tongue. "But it's time to finish this battle up! Ninetales, end it with Ice Shard!" Like before, the fox pokémon released many ice shards from her mouth.

"Pikachu, dodge it! Quick buddy!" Ash pleaded but his Pikachu stayed put. Too exhausted to move, the electric-type crouched down and hoped for the best. As he did so, something unexpected happened. A large web of electricity suddenly appeared and covered the small area around Pikachu. The mouse pokémon peeked up when he didn't feel the attack. He saw that the ice shards were being destroyed on impact because of the web protecting Pikachu.

"Woah! What's that!?" Ash exclaimed with wonder.

"That's Electro Web!" Sun informed him. He too was surprised at the move.

"Wow. Ash's Pikachu learned a new move!" Kiawe said with awe.

Ash chuckled. He was proud to see that Pikachu learned a new move. "Awesome, Pikachu!" He came up with a plan after the ice shards went away. "Use Electro Web again!" Ash commanded. Finding new found strength in himself, Pikachu jumped to the air and chucked a web of electricity from his tail to Ninetales. The fox pokémon was too stunned by the new move to see it coming.

"Ninetales!" Sun shouted. The Electro Web kept Ninetales in place while also damaging her. It affected her greatly.

"Come to me, Pikachu!" Ash said to his partner. Pikachu nodded when he saw Ash present his z-power ring.

"Wait, what!?" Mallow gasped when she stared at the z-power ring flashing. "It changed z-crystals!?" True to her words, the z-crystal changed into one that Ash was familiar with before.

"It is the same as back then." Ash observed the z-crystal carefully. He quickly remembered the last time he came across it.

"Alright, Pikachu!" Ash placed his hat on Pikachu. He crossed his arms into an 'X' formation. The z-crystal flashed again. "Let's show him our real power!"

Sun started to panic. This could be the end of him. He noticed how Ash wasn't paying any attention to him so he took that as an advantage.

"Ninetales, use Dazzling Gleam and get out of there!" He turned to Ash and he looked just about ready to use his z-move.

"Stronger than a Thunderbolt's one hundred thousand volts… one million volts! No, even bigger than that! Our super full power!" Ash said loudly.

Ninetales surrounded herself with a ball of bright light. She began ramming into the Electro Web. On the third ram, the fox pokémon managed to break the web.

"Now hit that Pikachu before he sees you!" The ball of light was still on Ninetales body. She sprinted to the mouse pokémon. Pikachu was still in the process of preparing his z-move.

"Ash, watch out!" Mallow shrieked.

"Keep your eye on the battle!" Kiawe hollered.

"Go in for the win, Sun" Sophocles cheered.

Ash and Pikachu were bumping fists, completely missing the charging Ninetales. Pikachu finally turned to face his opponent and yelped, ending the z-move process.

"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked, striking his fist to the air but then realising that he couldn't feel the power any more. His eyes bulged out of their sockets when he finally saw Ninetales.

"Pikachu! Do-" It was too late by then. Pikachu was sent flying to air relentlessly. The hat falling next to Ash.

"One more time!" Sun ordered. Ninetales launched herself in the air, higher than Pikachu and pushed her body down against him. She forced Pikachu all the way to the ground, creating an explosion on impact. Smoke covered the two, preventing Sun and Ash from seeing their pokemon's condition.

"Hallelujah!" Sun grinned when he saw his Ninetales trot out of the smoke. Her white fur was ruffled but she overall was fine.

"Come on, Pikachu," Ash said. A few seconds later the smoke cleared up and revealed Pikachu's current state.

"Pika…" Pikachu muttered weakly, swirls in his eyes. The battle was over. Ash sighed in defeat and ran over to his Pikachu.

 **Winner - Sun!**

Sun had a smug smirk on his face. "You did awesome, Ninetales." The fox pokémon went back to her trainer and happily accepted his petting.

"Don't sweat it Pikachu, you did great," Ash consoled his pokémon on his loss. "Sun's the real deal."

Sun scoffed, "I suppose you know by now. You are not ready," Sun repeated for what seemed like the umpteenth time for Ash. "You must never let your guard down. Especially when doing a z-move. Just because you think you got your opponent down, doesn't mean that they're out for the count. A rookie mistake."

"I guess you're right. I should've known better," Ash replied, making his way over to Sun. His Pikachu rested on his shoulder. "Good match." Ash held out his hand.

Sun stared at his hand silently. "What the heck." He returned the gesture. The two strong trainers shook hands. "I'm impressed, Ash Ketchum. You put up a good battle. Your Pikachu's pretty tough."

Ash smiled. "Thanks. Your Ninetales is tough as well." He gazed down at the ground. "Looks like I have a lot of training to do if I want to beat Nanu." Ash's entire team comforted him. Though, Rowlett had the liberty to fly over to his head and continue his nap. This made Sun frown.

"You have so much potential Ash. But if you want any chance to beat Nanu, you have to train your pokémon more. Build up their strengths. Fix their weaknesses," Sun lectured the Kanto native boy.

Ash understood what he meant. "I see what you're trying to say." He took a deep breath.

"WAKE UP!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Everyone around Ash flinched at the volume of his voice. Rowlet screeched loudly and tumbled to the ground.

"That's a start." Sun laughed with Ash joining him. "If you're serious about getting stronger, come to me."

Ash tilted his head questionably. "Wait. What do y-"

"Ash!" Mallow was now standing by his side. "Don't let Sun gloat his win to you!"

"Yeah!" Kiawe came over too with Lana in tow. "Don't let Sun's ego get you down."

Ash heard Sun make an irritated noise. The anger on his face bothered Ash. He didn't want to see his new friend get hassled. Even if they were his friends. He knew the true story, it was about time they found out too.

"There's something you three have to know about Sun."

"Wait. What are you-"

"Hold on! That was my job!" Sophocles said. Now nearing his friends, he began explaining the truth behind Sun. "Sun never wanted to be apart of Team Skull! He was forced to! I was there with him. It was all just an act. All the trouble he caused was part of his plan. His plan to get the Team Skull leader arrested. Sun left Kanto because all of you! You didn't trust his word so Sun got fed up and departed from Alola!" Sophocles shouted quickly. He wanted to spill it all out as fast as he could.

"W-what?" Kiawe sputtered out. He couldn't believe it.

"Really?" Lana squeaked.

"S-sun, is this true?" Mallow eyed him with hopeful eyes.

Sun had a choice. It was obvious what his decision was going to be.

"Yo Sophocles, why you gotta be tellin' lies? Is this one of your pranks?"

Sun despised Sophocles' choice to tell the truth about what occurred. He loathed Mallow, Lana, and Kiawe's reactions. Like they were surprised to hear that he was faking it. They should've known that in the first place! He wanted things to stay the same. Hating each other was just fine for him.

"I knew it was a prank when Sun went _missing_. What the heck, Sophocles!?" Mallow got up in Sophocles face. "Why do you have to keep on making lies?! Do you have something against us?!"

"Hey! Hey!" Sun pushed Mallow away from his friend without a second thought. "Don't blame Sophocles for something that you caused."

Now it was Kiawe's turn to push Sun. "Don't touch her like that!" He spat out.

"What're you going to do about it!?" Sun retorted with equal hatred.

"I'll show you what I'm going to do if you lay a finger on my friends!" Kiawe roared. He flung himself to Sun. He was stopped halfway by Sun's Decidueye.

"Relax, Kiawe!" Lana pulled her friend back with Sophocles and Ash doing the same to Sun. "Fighting isn't the answer."

"Listen to your _girlfriend_ , Kiawe! She knows what's best for you!" Sun fired back. "If you want to settle this then let's do it as trainers should!"

Kiawe howled with laughter. "You want to battle me!? Bring it on, Sun!" Kiawe backed up and tossed two of his poké balls in the air. His Marowak and Turtonator growled at Sun.

"Can't wait to teach you a lesson. Don't go in over your head, Kiawe! Glaceon! Sandslash! Show this idiot how we do things now that I'm here."

 **Former Team Skull Grunt Sun vs. Overprotective Brother Kiawe!**

The mouse and fresh snow pokémon nodded. Sandslash skidded to the imaginary battlefield first. Marowak followed and faced the Alolan Sandslash. Not wasting any time, Kiawe called out his first command.

"Go in for an Iron Head!" Marowak sprinted to Sandslash, parts of its skull turning steel gray.

"Metal Claw!" Sun countered. In the nick of time, Sandslash connected his reinforced claw to Marowaks skull. The two attacks caused the respective individuals to jump back by the power.

"Ice Ball!" Sandslash cupped his face with his claws and spat out an ice ball towards Marowak!

"Whack it back!" Kiawe yelled. Marowak swung its bone at the ice ball. Instead of sending it back, it shattered. It used too much power on it. "Don't worry about it. Hit Sandslash with a Bonemerang!"

Marowak let out a battle cry and chucked its bone as hard as it could to Sandslash. As planned, it hit him directly on the face and flew past him. Now it was going to come back.

"Snap out of it! Use Metal Claw with both claws!" Sandslash's claws both glowed with a gray color. "Now catch it!" The mouse pokémon turned around and clasped both of his claws together, catching Marowak's bone in flight. Marowak's eyes almost popped out of its skull. Its precious bone club wasn't coming back.

"Throw it as far as you can!" Sandslash threw the bone club far into the distance. It wasn't coming back any time soon. "Forfeit the match, Kiawe?" Sun taunted.

"No way! We'll make this work!" Kiawe clenched his fists. "Iron Head! Do as many as you can until you find an opening!" Marowak did as it was told and repeatedly tried to slam its skull onto Sandslash. The mouse pokémon worked his agility to his best, managing to avoid each attack.

"Shoot. How can I get past this." A light bulb appeared at the top of Sun's head. "Icicle Crash! Make it quick!" Sandslash prepared his attack while also dodging Marowak's Iron Head. Unfortunately, he couldn't concentrate on the move. The mouse pokémon decided to wing it.

Sidestepping another one of Marowak's attack, Sandslash managed to jump backwards and slam his spiky ice quills onto Marowak's back. Sandslash squashed the bone keeper pokémon with all his might. Marowak groaned in pain. Although its head was protected by its skull, its back wasn't.

Seeing no other option, Sandslash used Icicle Crash. A large gust of icy wind shot to the air above them. Then, large icicles came dropping from the sky. In a split second, Sandslash jumped out of the way. The bone keeper pokémon, too dazed to even think, didn't have a chance to move out of the way. None of the icicles missed.

"Score one for Sun!" Sun boasted. Marowak went unconscious, giving Sun the advantage. A two on one advantage.

"Marowak!" Kiawe carried his pokémon and set it to the side. He pulled out another poké ball. His Charizard roared as it was released. "Charizard, can you go find Marowak's bone club? It should be at that direction." Kiawe pointed to the right direction. Charizard nodded swiftly and started to fly away.

"That was a bold strategy," Sophocles said. "Getting rid of Marowak's bone club definitely put it at a disadvantage."

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "And Sandslash using his ice quills like that was reallu something. Sun's pokémon are very innovative in battles."

Mallow huffed, "Sun got lucky. That's all."

"You've got to admit though, that was clever thinking coming from Sun and Sandslash," Sophocles replied. His only response was silence.

"Looks like your Turtonator is up next. Which is why I'm switching to my Glaceon!" The fresh snow pokémon skipped to the imaginary battlefield. Her eyes glaring at Turtonator.

"What's the matter, Sun? You too scared to keep Sandslash in?" Kiawe tried to provoke a reaction out of Sun.

Sun shrugged carelessly. "No. I just don't want my pokémon all battered up. Anyway, I'll be taking the first go! Glaceon, Tackle!"

"Tackle!? Come on Sun, you know better than that. Use Dragon Tail!" Turtonator's tail glowed orange and grew in length. He swung his improved tail at Glaceon.

"Dodge it and then climb his tail!" Sun cried out. Glaceon jumped out of the way and landed on Turtonator's tail. She rushed across his tail. "Tail Whip!" When she reached the end, Glaceon swatted her tail across Turtonator's face three times. The blast turtle pokémon staggered backwards.

"Tackle!" Sun shouted. Glaceon slammed her body onto Turtonator. He fell to the ground from the powerful impact.

"Are you all right, Turtonator?" The blast turtle pokémon collected himself and nodded. "Good. Keep your guard up. Who knows what Sun's up to."

"It's time to finish this. Glaceon! Get in close!" The fresh snow pokémon cautiously closed the gap. Sun noticed Kiawe whisper something to his pokémon. "Hey! No secrets!"

"Oh." Kiawe smiled innocently. "There's nothing to hide. You'll find out soon enough."

Sun narrowed his eyes. "Psh. Whatever. Glaceon, play it safe and go in for another Tackle!" To Sun's surprise, Turtonator didn't move.

"What's Kiawe up to?" Sophocles questioned.

Ash gasped. "I know! He used this when we first met and battled Team Skull. It's Shell Trap!"

When Glaceon pounced at the blast turtle pokémon, he turned around. The ice-type pokémon hit his shell.

 **BOOM!**

A large explosion set off. Glaceon was sent flying back several feet. Kiawe chuckled. This was the opportunity he needed.

"Excellent job! Now hit Glaceon with Flamethrower!"

"Get out of there!" Sun gritted his teeth when he saw his pokémon trying to stand up. The explosion did a number to her. It didn't help that a ray of fire hit her. It inflicted more damage to her body.

"Now!" Kiawe lined himself up with his pokémon. "My full-bodied, full-spirited full power! Inferno Overdrive!" Kiawe finished his pose and transferred power to his pokémon. The blast turtle pokémon breathed a stream of intense fire and exhaled it out towards Glaceon. The huge wave of fire smeared its way to Glaceon.

"Darn it," Sun scolded himself. He already accepted his defeat. After the fire disappeared into thin air, Glaceon was on her back with swirls in her eyes. Sun ran over and carried her back to his side.

"You did good, Glaceon." Sun returned Glaceon back into her poké ball.

"Yes! Kiawe, way to go!" Mallow cheered loudly so Sun could hear her.

"Great work, Kiawe!" Lana added in.

"I suppose you did well." Sophocles applauded his friend. He still wanted Sun to win though.

"That was awesome!" Ash exclaimed with wonderment in his eyes.

"I know. I know. I just crushed Sun!" Kiawe roared. "Victory isn't far away. Your Sanslash is weakened from his previous battle," He reminded Sun.

Sun sent his Sandslash back into the battle. "I can say the same to you. Let's just get this over with."

"Something we can both agree on." Kiawe stomped his feet to the ground. "Turtonator! Flamethrower!"

"Dodge it!" Sandslash just barely moved out of the way. The pain from the previous battle taking its toll. "What can I do!?" Sun chastised himself for not coming up with a proper plan against Turtonator.

"I guess I shouldn't keep this a secret anymore. Shell Trap! There, now don't get any bright ideas with that Metal Claw. It'll cost you big time."

Sun realised that this Shell Trap was used against his Glaceon. Hitting Turtonator on his shell will cause another explosion. He had to think harder. No way he was losing to Kiawe. That's when it hit him.

"Of course. I'm so stupid!"

"You bet you are!" Mallow hollered. Sun grunted at her response.

"Whatever. Sandslash, use Earthquake!" The mouse pokémon dug one if his claws deep in the ground. His other claw bashed the solid ground with all his might. The ground started to shake around them. Kiawe almost tripped himself. The same thing couldn't be said about Turtonator. The blast turtle pokémon was on the ground, shell to the ground.

"Icicle Crash! Produce as much icicles as you can in that attack!"

Sandslash exhaled a bigger gust of icy wind than before. It soared to the air above Turtonator. It started raining ice shards. About ten to be exact. Each landing on Turtonator with precise aim.

"Turtonator!" Kiawe dropped to his knees. His Turtonator was still on the ground. This time, his eyes were instead swirls.

"Yeah! Nice job, Sandslash!" Sun high-fived his Sandslash but yelped and landed to the ground. He clutched his hand in pain. The sharp claws hurt Sun's hand.

 **Winner - Sun!**

"Eat that Kiawe!" Sun rubbed his victory in Kiawe's face.

"Kiawe…" Mallow groaned. She was disappointed that her friend lost.

"Good effort, Kiawe!" Lana congratulated her friend despite his loss.

"Yeah! You were awesome!" Sophocles said to Kiawe. The battle was very thrilling to watch.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Kiawe! It was a close one. You both gave it your all!" Ash exclaimed from afar.

Kiawe smiled warmly from his friends responses. "Thanks guys. I'll just have to do better next time. I guess having the type advantage doesn't ensure a victory. I'll train harder so it won't happen again." Kiawe truly meant it. One day, he'll beat Sun.

Mallow didn't let the situation go. "Don't worry, Kiawe. Sun got lucky again. That's all."

Sun didn't take those words kindly. "Oh yeah green!? If I got lucky then why don't you come over here and make sure it doesn't happen again!" He proposed harshly. His wins were genuine. There was no way he was letting Mallow of all people tell him otherwise.

"Maybe I will!" Mallow responded. "Steenee, you up to teach this jerk a lesson?" She asked her pokémon.

"Stee!" The fruit pokémon marched to the imaginary battlefield.

"What a joke!" Sun burst into laughter. I'll finish this with one move. Decidueye! Make it happen!"

 **Former Team Skull Grunt Sun vs. Master Cook Mallow!**

Steenee, not forgetting about earlier, glared at the arrow quill pokémon. He in response stared back with no emotion.

"Let's end this with one go. Decidueye, fly around Steenee and try to intimidate her." Decidueye began to fly circles around Steenee. He squawked loudly every so often.

"Don't let the pest scare you!" Mallow told her pokémon. Steenee attempted to not be afraid but flinched whenever Decidueye made a noise.

"Phantom Force!" Decidueye stopped his circling and vanished into thin air.

"Keep watch!" Mallow advised her. Just then, Decidueye popped back into view.

"Leaf Storm!"

"Behind you!" They both yelled at the same time. Decidueye flapped his wings at Steenee direction and shot multiple sharp leaves at Steenee. The fruit pokémon didn't have a chance to evade the attack.

"Booya!" Sun did a victory pose which was more of a taunt to Mallow. "What did I say!?"

"Stee…" Steenee was on her side with swirls in her eyes.

 **Winner - Sun!**

"Now then…" Sun's attention switched over to the next potential candidates. "Anyone else want to battle?" He enjoyed seeing the crushed expression on Mallow's face.

"Maybe next time." Sophocles smiled nervously as he hugged his Togedemaru closely. In truth, he didn't want to get steam rolled like Mallow.

"No…" Lana peeped quietly. She refused to make eye contact with Sun.

"Blondie?" Sun inquired, facing Lillie. She didn't pay him any attention. She kept on playing with Snowy. "What's with the silent treatment? I thought you'd be as vocal as these guys are about me," Sun said to himself before sighing. "Guess that's game! Sorry Froslass and Vanilluxe." The two ice-types grumbled. They didn't like being sidelined for battle.

"I-I lost. And so quick." Mallow was crestfallen that she was beaten so easily. She picked up her fallen Steenee and rushed back to her friends.

Sun and Ash met each other's eyes. "You see that, Ash Ketchum? That's what vigorous training looks like. You too can be like this. Whenever you want, talk to me and we can train our pokémon together."

"Actually." Ash spoke up, ignoring his friends immediate warnings. "I want to start as soon as I can. I want a chance to prove myself to Nanu and you!"

Sun clapped at his decision. "That's the wisest decision you'll ever make here. It should be about noon now. How about in three hours? I want to get settled in first. When my plane landed here I came to the school straight away. I left my luggage at the pokémon center along the," Sun explained his arrival to Ash.

"Perfect!" Ash responded with a determined smirk. "I got to head to the pokémon center too. I want to get my Pikachu checked up on."

"Pika…" Pikachu moaned weakly. He was resting on Ash's shoulder.

"Same here!" Sun chimed in with a laugh.

"Me too..." Kiawe mumbled.

"Me as well..." Mallow gulped. She was going to have to stick with Sun on the way there. As much as she hated him, it was for Steenee's well-being.

"I'll tag along as company," Sophocles said, joining the four.

"Don't leave me behind." Lana hurried to catch up with her friends.

Lillie stood there, watching her friends leave. "Sun…" The blonde straightened her hat and followed the group with Snowy in tow.

"Looks like the whole gang's here." Sun was unamused. "But you guys are more important," He said to his pokémon and Glaceon's poké ball. They all smiled genuinely at their trainer. However, a voice caught his attention. A very familiar one.

"SUN!!!" It was Hau! He ran as fast as his legs could take him.

"Hau!?!?" Sun sputtered, shocked. He started to run to Hau too. The two old friends sprinted their way to each other.

Hau spread his arms wide as did Sun. When the two were in arms length of each other, Sun stepped to the side and smacked the back of Hau's head when he past him. Hau fell down and his mouth was forced to eat the grass.

"What the heck, Hau!? I leave Alola in your hands and you quit the island challenge. Idiot!" Sum berated his friend as cruelly as he could.

"Glad to have you back, Sun." Hau lay there with a silly grin still plastered on his face.

Ash and his friends sweatdropped at the scene. "What am I in for?"

 **xxxxx**

 ***Ninetales** **' Ice shard has been modified for just her.**

 ** _I'm not sure if Turtonator can use Shell Trap twice since he needs time to rebuild his shell. I got a perfect excuse... anime logic._**

 ** _Second Quick Author's Note: Next chapter will include some Hau moments and Sun and Ash's training. Stay tuned!_**


	4. In Sun We Trust

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

"Gee, sorry Sun. I didn't really think about it that way," Hau said as Sun helped him back on his feet after he was done scolding him.

"Well who else did you think was going to be champion?" Sun replied. "The professor has told me what he planned on doing to solve this predicament. He wants to have a pokémon league established in Alola."

"A pokémon league!?" Hau shouted in surprise. "I've heard of those. This is going to be so awesome!" The two shared a high-five. Suddenly, Sun felt something ring inside his pockets. He gasped and leapt back, distancing himself from everyone else.

"I got to go take this!" Sun ran off to a random tree.

"Weird." Hau shrugged and turned his attention to the group. "Heya, Sophocles! What's up?" Hau greeted the short boy, blatantly ignoring the others on purpose.

"Nothing much. We're all heading to the pokémon center! Sun's taken a toll on the others pokémon so we all decided to go together and get them checked up on," Sophocles explained to the flabbergasted Hau.

"Eh!? Did Sun… you know." Hau tilted his head towards his former friends.

"Nope. We all just happen to go the same way," Sophocles answered before pointing his thumb back at Ash. "Afterwards, Sun's going to go train Ash here for his upcoming trial!"

Hau hastily thought about what Sophocles said. If Sun was training this Ash guy then they must be on good terms. Sun rarely shared his talents to others. He must be on serious business! Or maybe just bored. Either way, Hau wasn't going to be impolite to the newcomer. So with that in mind, Hau sauntered over to the Kanto native boy.

"Hello, Hau. It's good to see you again," Lillie said, having spoken for the first time that day. She really did want to fix things up with Hau.

Her hopes failed when Hau promptly ignored her greeting. "Sup! My name is Hau! It's nice to meet you! Any friend of Sun is a friend of mine!" Hau shook hands with Ash, saying the last part clearly, directing it to the others.

"Nice to meet you too, Hau! My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto region!" Ash introduced himself. "And this is my partner, Pikachu. He got pretty banged up from our battle against Sun." He patted the resting Pikachu's head soothingly.

"Kanto, huh?" Hau had a big smile on his face. "Sun's from there too! You two already have something in common. "

Ash laughed. "I guess we do. What are you doing here, Hau. If you don't mind me asking. I've never seen you around before."

"I got word that Sun was coming back. I had to see my friends!" Hau brought Sophocles in closer. "And I made a new one!" Hau pulled the two together for a group hug. Sophocles and Ash laughed at the gesture.

Lillie frowned deeply, feeling a tight pain in her chest. Hau didn't consider her a friend any more. After all they've been through. To make matters worse, Lillie didn't even know the reason why.

"That's two people now…" Lillie muttered quietly. Her sadness couldn't have been more visible to anyone who saw her.

"WHAT!??!?" Sun's loud shout could be heard from the tree he was taking his call from.

"Something wrong, Sun!?" Hau rushed to his friend with concern.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah!!!" Ash saw Sun back away from Hau with a panicked expression. "A little privacy please!" Sun held his device closer to his face. "I'll call you back later. We'll talk more about… it." Sun hung up his call and pulled Hau to the side.

"What do you think that was all about?" Sophocles inquired while they watched the two old friends huddle up.

"He's probably following more Team Skull orders," Mallow grumbled, looking off to the side with a solemn frown.

"As much as I don't like Sun, I'm afraid that's not possible Mallow. He just got here. He didn't even know Team Skull reformed," Kiawe reasoned. He felt disgusted just by defending Sun.

"Whatever it is." Ash held back his anger. "It must be important. We shouldn't get in his business." When he finished, Sun returned with an awestruck Hau.

"Wow…" Was all Hau said.

"Yeah, and you better keep it a secret, Hau. You understand what'll happen if one of them finds out." Sun glanced back at the group suspiciously.

Hau pretended to seal his lips shut like a zipper. "My lips are sealed." Hau smiled brightly at Ash and Sophocles. "We better get going. We want you to have as much training time you can get!" Hau said to Ash.

"He's right," Sun agreed with his old friend. "I want you to go back to Ula'ula Island and beat the old grump, Nanu! He might lose interest in you if we take too long."

"Lose interest?" Ash was stunned to hear that. "Can Kahuna's do that!?"

Sun nodded. "Nanu would. It'd be taken to the officials and Nanu will be forced to give you a trial. Who knows how long that'll take. He might have Acerola come bug you if it means keeping you away from him."

Hau gasped. "Acerola!? Isn't that the girl that you d-"

"Off we go!" Sun walked to the direction of the pokémon center in a quicker pace. Hau snickered, amused from his reaction.

"Typical Sun. You can't hide from her forever!" Hau turned to Ash and Sophocles. "We better follow him before he gets too far up." The three boys ran and surprised Sun with their speed.

"We better catch up. Sun might rub off some of his negative influence to Ash," Kiawe warned his friends. "Then we can all go about our business when we're done."

"Sounds like a plan." Mallow nodded. Kiawe, Mallow and Lana went off, leaving the sulking Lillie behind.

"Should I…" Lillie narrowed her eyes with determination. This was it. She was finally going to do it! No more falling victim to peer pressure. The blonde was going to do the unthinkable.

"I am!" She declared, startling Snowy in the process. Lillie scooped Snowy in her arms and ran as fast as she could to the others.

Meanwhile, Sun was having a conversation with Ash. Hau and Sophocles listened on, adding in a comment every so often.

"...then I showed up and Hau froze like a deer in headlights. I saw him at the counter, eating my Malasada while I was in the bathroom!" Ash, Sun, and Sophocles laughed after he finished. Hau flushed in embarrassment, tugging the collar of his shirt.

"I was starving, Sun! It's not my fault I dropped my Malasada. You tricked me into doing so!" Hau playfully accused his old friend of his actions.

"It's was just a prank bro…" Sun muttering before chuckling at the memory. He was about to add something new to the conversation until he felt someone pulled his arm. This was followed by a series of gasps.

"Who the heck is doing that!?" Sun viscously turned around. His eyes widened when he caught the culprit. It was Lillie! She had a strong grip on his wrist and bore the most serious expression that Sun has ever seen from her. Shaking off his shock, Sun glared at his former friend.

"What is it blondie!? Can't you see I'm trying to talk with _my_ friends!?" Sun growled, escaping the grasp Lillie had on him.

"I-I...S-su…" Lillie couldn't pronounce the words she wanted to say. Seeing his annoyance made her rethink her decision. Her sudden anxiety got worse when Sun's glare hardened. "I-I got to go!" Lillie squealed, having seen enough of Sun's anger. She ran the other direction without stopping.

"Okay… strange," Sun drawled out. "That's Lillie for you I suppose."

Ash scratched his head. "You seemed to scared her off. I thought only pokémon did that to her."

"Lillie regained her fear of pokémon?!" Sun facepalmed. "And after all that hard work I put in to make her be able to touch pokémon."

"Oh no! That was before. Now, Lillie isn't afraid of pokémon anymore," Ash reassured Sun.

"Good. I didn't want all of that work to go to waste." Sun paused, did he really just expressed his concern over Lillie? The one that he was suppose to hate. No, he was only concerned with the time he graciously wasted helping Lillie overcome that stupid fear of hers. It had taken months but he finally got her to stop acting like a baby around pokémon.

The rest of the walk was mostly silent. Sun was still going left and right thinking about what Ash told him about his former friend. Hau started to worry about his old friend so naturally he talked to him about it.

"Sun, you okay?" Hau asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Sun answered, trying to smile but failed to do so.

"This wouldn't have to do with Lillie, would it?" Hau pursed his lips, not sure if he was right.

Sun laughed awkwardly. "The blondie!? No way! I'm just thinking about how to make an Alola league happen, that's all," Sun assured his old friend. The group stopped walking when they heard laughter.

"Hey you!" Sun turned to see a Team Skull Grunt at their left. "What are you doing with those brats? Come! We've got to go report back to bossman. And what are you doing with those old clothes? Here, I just happen to have a spare with me." The grunt handed Sun a set of new Team Skull clothes. Sun eyed the clothing and then at the grunt. Mallow could've sworn that his eyes stared at it hungrily.

"Hang on guys. I'll be back in a minute," Sun whispered to his friends. "Yeah, totally! Lead the way!" Sun remembered the advice that the professor informed him and restricted himself from speaking their former tone.

The grunt smirked and made his way bacm with Sun in tow. Everyone stood there, dumbfounded by what just happened.

"See!?!?" Mallow almost screamed. "I told you he was still a Team Skull grunt! Losers like Sun never change!" It felt so good to be right.

Ash hesitated. He traded glances with the others who were also skeptical about what transpired.

"Yeesh. What a weirdo!" Sun came back a few minutes later sporting the new attire. Thankfully, he was alone. "Can you believe that guy? He wanted me to head back to their bosses base. As if I'd ever go back." The six were split on whether to believe Sun or not.

Sophocles let out a sigh of relief. "How'd you get rid of him then?"

"You know, I told him him that there was some rare Ultra Beasts in the area and he high tailed out of there." Sun chuckled, he loved to mess with other people.

"Wait a minute." Mallow pointed a finger to Sun. "How do you know about Ultra Beasts?" She hated seeing the smug look on Sun's face.

"Water girl told me all about it," Sun responded. He couldn't help but laugh when Mallow and Kiawe confronted the girl.

"Why did you tell that moron!? He could be using that information for himself!" Mallow barked at the shivering Lana.

"It was supposed to be top secret! Lusamine tasked only us six with capturing the super rare Ultra Beasts. Others aren't supposed to know about!" Kiawe fumed. How could one of his friends betray him and the entire group like that? Oh wait.

"No!" Lana squeaked, her entire face steaming red. "I didn't say anything! M-maybe… I accidentally mentioned it." Mallow and Kiawe stopped arguing with her when they heard Sun howl with laughter.

"She's right. Water girl only said the name. Kiawe spoke about it earlier too. But thanks for telling me what they are and what you guys do with them, Kiawe!" Sun chirped happily.

"I-I… what?" Kiawe groaned. Having enough of Sun, he sped forward, separating himself from the group. Mallow and Lana quickly followed his lead.

"Thanks water girl!" Sun hollered. He could hear Lana squeak from the acknowledgment. "That's enough fun for today. We have to get back on track and get to your training, Ash."

"Right. Let's get to the pokémon center faster!" The four boys sprinted to the pokémon center with one goal in their mind.

"I'm going to get there first!" They all said in unison.

 ** _At the Pokémon Center..._**

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" The four boys thanked the nurse at the same time. The nurse flashed a small smile as she watched them leave. Though, she remembered the fright one of the boys caused when he came in wearing Team Skull attire to drop off his suitcase. Thankfully, he reminded everyone that he was the one to disband Team Skull. Nurse Joy's thoughts were interupted by the other rambunctious kids.

"You go after them!"

"No you!"

"How about the both of you go!"

Nurse Joy frowned. The three kids in front of her were arguing boisterously. Some of the people around glared at the three for disturbing their ill pokémon.

"Dears. Can you please take your conversation outside? You all are a tad bit too loud. Pokémon won't be able to rest." Nurse Joy smiled again when their talk came to a halt.

Mallow jumped to the front desk and eyed her angrily. "I know! How about you go follow them!"

"Yeah!" Kiawe and Lana agreed with equal agitation.

Nurse Joy sweatdropped. "I'm afraid I can't. My duties can't be dropped so abruptly. Why don't you all play a game of rock paper scissors to decide?" The nurse suggested

The three eagerly slammed their fists on the palm of their hand.

"There's no chance that I'm going to spy on them. I don't want to see that idiot anymore!" Mallow exploded with rage.

"Well one of us has to! Ash must be supervised if Sun's going to be there!" Kiawe insisted. He didn't want to go because he'd be tricked and humiliated by Sun once more.

"It won't be me!" Lana did her best to sound intimidating. If there was one thing that wasn't going to be happening was her having to be near Sun. Though, she never explained her reason to them.

"Rock!"

"Paper!"

"S-scissors!"

"Shoot!"

Kiawe, Lana, and Mallow opened their eyes to see the result. Mallow had her whole hand wide open. Kiawe balled up his fist. Unfortunately for Lana, she also joined in all her fingers together.

"Haha! Yes!" Mallow cheered. "See you guys tomorrow!" Mallow exited the pokémon center in a hurry with her Steenee.

"That leaves us! I won't lose!" Kiawe declared, flames appearing in his eyes. Lana jumped back a little at the action.

"Here I go! Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!!!" Kiawe yelled at the top of his lungs. He chose rock again and his hand was _'flamed with fire.'_ He slammed his rock into Lana's puny scissors.

"Owie!!!" Lana cried out with tears in the corner of her eyes. She softly caressed her injured hand while Kiawe war cried his way out of the pokémon center with his two pokémon. Lana peered out the door and saw Kiawe's Charizard land and drop a bone from his its mouth. Marowak was very delighted to see the club bone.

"Don't worry sweetie. I'm sure it won't be that bad," Nurse Joy said.

"You have no idea..." Lana whimpered, departing from the pokémon center with her Popplio.

"Finally. Those brats are gone!" A woman scoffed, petting her sick Lillipup. Others voiced their agreement.

Even Nurse Joy couldn't help but agree.

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

Lana and Popplio were crouching down behind a bush. Several feet away was the four boys discussing privately. Her eyes mainly focused on the target, Sun.

"These pokémon are unacceptable! Training is a must for everyone! Especially that Rowlet!" Sun harshly stated. It didn't help that Rowlet was taking a nap. "We must teach that Rowlet a lesson for sleeping during training."

"Just don't hurt Rowlett." Ash was on board with the idea. It was the only way to get Rowlet to learn not to sleep so much. That and he couldn't think of anything else.

"Ooh! We should play a prank on Rowlett!" Sophocles chimed in with an evil smirk. "Nothing dangerous though." He directed that to Ash.

"Great idea! I can get back to my old roots!" Sun recalled his previous misadventures with Sophocles. They used to prank everyone they knew. "What should we do? Water balloon to the face? Draw on Rowlet's face? Or maybe a…" He whispered his plan to the three who quickly agreed. They all sped off with their pokémon.

Rowlet snored without a care in the world. A mysterious drip of water landed on its face. It stirred in its sleep. More drops of water fell and Rowlet got fed up. Slowly, it opened one of its eyes.

" **RAWR**!!!" A beast snarled at the grass quill pokémon. Rowlet squawked, frightened at the sight. The beast suddenly took of its… mask?

"Bwahaha!" The beast revealed itself as Sophocles! "I can't believe that I'd ever use this costume again!"

Rowlet's face beet red in embarrassment as its friends were laughing at it too.

"Tee-hee!" The grass-type pokémon turned its head to see something in the bushes. It decided to take out its anger at whatever was in there. Rowlet silently flew towards the bush and attacked the culprit.

"Eeek!"

"Rowlet!? What are you doing!?" Ash ran over to his pokémon and gasped at who Rowlet was attacking.

"Water girl?" Sun memorized the sight of Rowlet savagely pecking all over Lana's hair. Popplio tried to squirt water in Rowlet's face but missed and hit Lana instead. "That's what happens when you try and spy on people," He remarked.

Once Ash got Rowlet off of Lana, she joined the group nervously.

"Why were you spying on us, Lana? We wouldn't mind if you watched," Sophocles said to his friend.

"I would." Sun glared at her.

"I'm with Sun." Hau sported a rare look of irritation. "But if you two want her to stick around then who am I to judge."

"She can stay. Only because we really do need to get started on your training." Sun grouped up with his pokémon.

"T-thank you." Lana gazed at the ground, cheeks flushed from embarrassment. "It was getting uncomfortable hiding behind that bush."

"Whatever." Sun redirected his focus to Rowlet. "Things are going to be different. You hear that? No more sleeping during the day. You'll be awake and alert from now on or they'll be more pranks in the future. That goes for all of you!" Torracat, Rowlet, Lycanroc, and Pikachu groaned at the schedule.

"Come on guys. Give it a chance," Ash convinced his pokémon to try the new training routine out.

"All four of you are beginning your ruthless training starting now! If you want any chance of beating Nanu then you must work on your weaknesses."

Hau spoke his concerns. "But Sun, when I had my rematch against Nanu he only let me use one of my pokémon against his three. We should focus on one pokémon."

"I'm going to have to turn that down. Even if Ash can only use one pokémon, all of them need to train anyhow." He faced Ash. "So Ash, mind telling me what you want to improve on with your pokémon?"

"Sure." Ash patted Rowlet's head. "Rowlet needs to be more active. Solving his sleeping issue will help a lot." Next was Torracat. "Torracat only needs to get stronger. Nothing in particular is holding him back." Then it was Pikachu. "I guess same goes for Pikachu. He could learn some techniques with Electro Web. He just learned it a few hours ago after all."

Sun pulled a notepad out of nowhere and wrote it all down. Lana curiously peered over Sun's shoulder and saw a picture of a poorly drawn Pikachu. She shook her head and backed away from the former Team Skull grunt. Lana was suppose to hate him. She intended to keep it that way.

Ash scratched Lycanroc's ears. "Lycanroc is in his dusk form. His biggest issue is controlling his berserk side. It triggers whenever Lycanroc's fur gets dirty." Lycanroc howled in confirmation.

"Dirty, huh? I know where we should start our first less-ow!" Sun felt something hit his head.

"Sorry stranger! Bzzt!" Rotom appeared hovering next to Ash. "My apologies too, Ash! I've been busy helping the professor. He keeps on wanting my help for catching those fake vandalizers that I made up. Bzzt!"

"Stupid little piece of scrap metal!" Sun groaned, feeling the small bump on his head. "What are you? You look like a pokédex but different."

"Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. "I've been created by Professor Kukui. He mashed me, a Rotom, with a pokédex." Rotom sweatdropped when Sun grabbed it and started inspecting the device.

"Amazing. A pokédex that talks? You got lucky with one of these, Ash Ketchum." Sun clutched Rotom tighter. "If you ever do anything to me like that again I'll have you thrown in the lava like my old pokédex. You hear!?" Sun threatened the device discreetly so Ash wouldn't hear.

"Affirmative! Bzzt!" Rotom hustled out of there and floated behind Ash for safety.

"Right." Sun grabbed a fistful of dirt and grass from the ground. "We should start off with getting rid of your Lycanroc's quirk with getting dirty. Maybe we can use it to your advantage during battle. An extra boost of power can go a long way. I'll go trigger this berserk transformation myself." Sun aimed the dirt at Lycanroc.

"Wait!" Ash shouted, stopping Sun. "Lycanroc attacks whoever's responsible with getting it dirty. I don't want you getting hurt." Sun smiled at that. Finally, a true friend worried about his safety.

"Interesting. There's one thing you should know about me, Ash." Sun flung the dirt at Lycanroc's fur. "I don't care." Sun spread his arms wide open, preparing for the worse.

Lycanroc froze, seeing the patch of dirt on its fur. The wolf pokémon started twitching violently. It howled viciously. The eyes of Lycanroc turned a bright red and showed its sharp teeth. Its paw began stomping on the ground.

"Water girl! Tell your Popplio to give me some water!" Sun yelled. Lana's eyes widened. Was he trying to purposely put himself in danger? "Come on! Do it!"

"O-okay! Popplio, Bubble Beam on Sun!" Popplio conjured up a large bubble of water and threw it at Sun. He lightly passed it on to Lycanroc, drenching it with water.

"Take that!" This aggravated the wolf pokémon even more. "Come on you mutt! Don't like getting your fur dirty?! What a wuss!" Sun launched more dirt at Lycanroc.

"That's enough, Sun! Stop before Lycanroc seriously hurts you!" Ash called out but to no avail.

"That's why you should stop your pokémon yourself. If you want me to survive this," Sun replied darkly. "Training is only going to get more tougher, Ash! You must learn your limits in order to train pokémon better. I put my body on the line so my pokémon know what I do for them. How much trust I have in them." Sun felt a shiver go up his spine when Lycanroc growled menacingly at him.

"Stop, Sun! This is really dangerous!" Hau pleaded. He didn't want to see his friend clobbered up during his return.

"This type of training is going too far!" Sophocles begged Sun to cut it out. He noticed Sun's pokémon tense at the scene. They were ready to interfere.

"Stand down! That's an order! Get back now!" Sun demanded his pokémon to settle down. They reluctantly did so.

Lana shrieked when Lycanroc charged at Sun. She hated him yes, but she didn't want Sun to die! It was then that old memories began to resurface. All about the time they spent together. The old Sun was a really fun person to be around. Mallow introduced the two, joking about how she acted like how Sun used to be. He was helpful, funny and always there when she needed him. Especially when she started babysitting her younger siblings. They were a handful, but Sun offered his services and they both suffered from the hyperactive twin sisters. Whatever negative feelings she had of Sun vanished and was replaced with fear. Fear that her former friend might be critically injured.

"M-moment of truth, A-ash Ketchum! What's i-it going to be?" Sun stuttered, keeping his eye on the rampaging wolf pokémon. His mind went blank when Lycanroc pounced.

"Lycanroc, stop! This isn't you! You'll hurt Sun!" Sun sighed, Ash still didn't understand what he was trying to do. Ash had to confront Lycanroc face to face. Not at the sidelines. Apparently putting his body on the line wasn't enough for Ash. His plan failed.

"Shoot! Abort, abort! Help me guys!" Sun screamed to his pokémon.

Time seemed to slow down for Ash once his Lycanroc forced Sun down to the ground. He could see Sun's pokémon try to make it in time but due to Sun telling them to back off, they weren't fast enough to get there. Sun clasp his hands on Lycanroc's jaw, keeping it closed so it wouldn't bite him.

"Come on, Ash, do something!" Sun hollered. Hau was slipping up and dropped his poké balls to the ground. Sophocles whole body froze, he couldn't move an inch. This was eerily similar to when Sun was taken from Team Skull and Sophocles let it happen. The past still haunted him.

"Gah!" Sun gave in, having endured the pain of Lycanroc scratching his chest and face with its paws. He released his grip on its jaw tiredly.

"Enough!" Ash darted to Lycanroc and tackled it to the side. Finally arriving, Sun's pokémon formed a barrier around him while Hau and Sophocles checked up on him. Lana anxiously went as well, not knowing how Sun will react.

Lycanroc tried to escape Ash's hold so it could lunge at Sun again.

"Come on, Ash! Try and calm down that Lycanroc!" Sun hissed under the minor pain of Lycanroc's scratches.

"Calm down, Lycanroc," Ash said, putting both his hands on the side of Lycanroc's head. The two had direct eye contact with one another. "That Bubble Beam must've felt nice, huh?" Lycanroc growled and turned to Popplio, figuring out who was truly behind that attack.

"Popplio!" Lana grabbed her Popplio and hugged it with all her might. She was going to protect her pokémon at any cost.

"Don't you remember, back when you were a Rockruff. You were playing with the water just like this, weren't you. Kind of reminds me of the rain." Lycanroc attempted to lash out and attack Sun. It did manage to free itself and only made it a few feet before Ash brought it back.

"There's no use in running away," Ash chuckled. He had a toothy smile on his face to show the wolf pokémon that he wasn't afraid. "I remember a time where we played in the rain. We kept on playing even after we were covered in mud!"

Lycanroc thought back to those times. Its trainer was right. But that didn't mean that it was going to listen to him! So the wolf pokémon delivered a swift headbutt to Ash and leapt high in the air so it could get past the barrier of pokémon.

"Cripes!" Sun looked up to see a berserk Lycanroc after him again.

"Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Surprisingly, Lana was the one to save Sun from the onslaught. Popplio surrounded itself with water and like the speed of a rocket, it slammed itself at Lycanroc mid-air. This caused the wolf pokémon to fall back to its original position where Ash repeated his previous action.

"W-water girl," Sun sputtered, he couldn't believe that Lana was the one to rescue him. She nodded to Sun, who did the same thing in return.

Ash put Lycanroc in a bear hug, effectively keeping it in place. "Your appearance may have changed when you evolved, but you're still you." Lycanroc hastily recalled memories of its past self. "You're stubborn, clingy, and a bit clumsy. But I like you exactly the way you are!" Ash cried out, pulling in Lycanroc for a proper hug.

The wolf pokémon stared at him, then at its friends. The realization struck it. Everyone liked it no matter what. But not being able to control its berserk side wasn't going to change its trainer's mind. But Lycanroc needed Ash to be happy and proud of it.

Lycanroc barked intensely, fighting off the craziness. Desperately wanting to be its true self. Eventually, Lycanroc howled to the sun, its red eyes reverting back to its green ones.

"Lycanroc!" Ash exclaimed, extremely glad to see his partner back.

"Well done, Ash! I knew you could do it! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, elated.

"I knew it from the start. My plans always work!" Sun sat up, an arrogant smirk on his face. It was quickly wiped off when…

 **SLAP!**

"Woah! Darn it water girl! That hurt like a Tauros running someone over!" Sun held his cheek painfully. Lana's icy glare spooked him a bit.

"You could've died from that reckless behavior of yours, Sun! Is that how you seriously train your pokémon!? Stupid, stupid!" Lana's tiny fists banged on Sun's head. Fortunately for Sun, it didn't really hurt him at all.

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right, Sun," Hau said sternly.

Sun blinked. "But Hau, you already know how I train! You've seen me do it too!" He pointed out incredulously.

"And I've been telling you countless times how I feel about it," Hau retorted, crossing his arms to express his displeasurement.

"It does seem rather ruthless training like that. What if something went wrong like it almost did right now?" Sophocles inquired, sporting a worried look also with a hint of curiosity.

"It's pretty simple honestly. I have a lot of trust in them," Sun explained like it was the easiest thing in the world. His pokémon nodded approvingly. "We're equal in terms of trainer and pokémon. They train to get stronger and I get in on the action too, even if it means I get hurt." Sun swatted Lana's fists away from him.

"I think I'd rather take a safer approach. No offense to you, Sun," Sophocles replied, smiling cheekily. Sun would've told him it was all right if it wasn't for Lana's constant pestering bothering him tremendously.

"Chill out water girl!" Sun grabbed both of her fists and stared her dead in the eye. "We'll talk later." He stood up and walked to Ash.

"T-talk!?" Lana whimpered nervously. How was she suppose to talk with Sun without making it awkward?

"It really worked! You're a genius, Sun!" Ash graciously shook Sun's hand. He was really grateful that his Lycanroc got rid of his uncontrollable quirk.

"You're welcome, Ash. Your pokémon will be capable of much more now that I'm coaching you." Sun frowned when he gazed at Lycanroc. "Though, I was hoping you reacted a bit faster before your Lycanroc almost chewed my head off."

The wolf pokémon whimpered sadly. Now in a clear state of mind, Lycanroc felt awful about what it was about to do to Sun.

"Gah!" Ash gasped, fearing the worst. "I'm sorry, Sun! I just froze all of a sudden! I thought I could talk Lycanroc out of it. I promise I won't go in over my head again!"

Sun glanced at the desperate Ash, and then at Lycanroc. Shrugging, he crouched down to confront it. He petted Lycanroc's head, eliciting a happy bark from the wolf pokémon.

"Like I said, Ash. It's all a part of my training routine. I trusted you to stop Lycanroc in time. Although it was a few seconds too late, you still managed to fulfil my request."

Ash stood there, mystified at what he heard. Sun put his body on the line and fully believed that he'd do what was right. Sun considered him a good enough friend by doing so. Ash came up with a conclusion, Sophocles spoke the truth about Sun and that the rest of their friends lost one heck of a friend.

"Thanks, Sun." The two brought each other in a man hug.

"Wow, Sun really isn't the evil trainer I thought him out to be! Bzzt!" Rotom unknowingly ruined the moment.

Sun clenched a fist at him. "That doesn't mean I won't keep my earlier promise, you!"

Rotom flew several feet back. "Noted. Bzzt!"

"Anyway." Sun pulled out of the embrace. "Enough of this sappy stuff. Now that your Lycanroc can control its berserk side, we should test its strength with a battle!" He eagerly awaited Ash's response.

"Sure! We're up for a battle. Right, Lycanroc?" The wolf pokémon barked in agreement.

"Sweet! Vanilluxe, give Lycanroc all you got!" Sun and the snowstorm pokémon marched several yards back to distance themselves from their opponent. Sun caught his Froslass grunt in annoyance. "Don't worry your little head, Froslass! I promise you'll be used next time!"

Ash smirked at Sun, ready to show his skills to him. "This type of training is exactly what we need! Keep an eye on this battle, everyone! You'll all experience this too!" He reminded his pokémon.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Sun exclaimed, pumped for the battle.

 **Failed Trial-goer Sun vs. Ultra Guardian Ash!**

"I'll go take the first shot. Ice Beam!" Vanilluxe shot a beam of ice from both of his mouths together.

"Dodge it!" The wolf pokémon jumped out of the way before it could get hit.

"Just because you have the type advantage doesn't mean we'll go down easy!" Sun noted with a grin. "Freeze-Dry!"

Vanilluxe scrunched up both of his faces. A large amount of snow appeared on all sides of Lycanroc. Then every inch of it came together and smashed into Lycanroc. This caused it to freeze rock solid.

"Not again!" Ash panicked. This reminded him of when it happened to his Pikachu, too.

"Another Ice Beam!" The ray of ice blasted away from Vanilluxe's mouths and hit the pillar of ice that Lycanroc was trapped in. It cracked on impact and sent Lycanroc flying.

"Lycanroc!" Ash sighed with relief when his pokémon was able to pick itself back up. "Rock Throw!"

The wolf pokémon soared to the air and released numerous sharpened rocks. Each one never missing its target.

"Brush it off, Vanilluxe. You're tough enough to endure the pain." Due to the type advantage, Vanilluxe sustained more damage. He winced every so often.

"Use Accelerock!" Ash commanded. Lycanroc coated itself with a white aura and bolted to the wolf pokémon.

"Stop it with Blizzard!" Vanilluxe opened his mouths which started glowing a light blue. He then blasted out a powerful blizzard, stopping the wolf pokémon in its tracks. Its fur was covered in snow.

"Lycanroc!" Ash gasped. It was time to see whether or not the training worked.

"Lycanroc might change back to its feral state!" Sophocles cried out worriedly.

Hau patted him on the back. "No need to fret dude! Sun's already fixed that up, remember?" He assured Sophocles.

"Yes, Sophocles." Lana shocked Hau and Sophocles by agreeing. "Its been resolved. See, look!" Lana pointed to the calm Lycanroc with a smile.

Lycanroc examined the snow on its fur and shook it off gently. It never raged at its fur being messed up.

"Success!" Sun noted proudly.

"Alright!" Ash congratulated his pokémon gleefully.

"Don't get too distracted again, Ash!" Sun chastised him. "Vanilluxe, Flash Cannon!"

Vanilluxe's body hued a light blue aura. He charged up a ball of white energy from both of his mouths. Finally, the snowstorm pokémon fired a beam of white energy with light blue energy at Lycanroc.

"Dodge it!" Ash hollered. Lycanroc swiftly moved out of the way. "Good!" His eyes widened when the wolf pokémon began to glow a white color. It roared before slamming its paws to the ground while also digging its claws in the ground. This caused multiple jagged light blue stones to pop out and go in a straight direction to Vanilluxe.

"It's Stone Edge!" Ash was astonished by the new move.

"It learned Stone Edge!? Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed excitingly.

"No way!" Sun watched as his Vanilluxe was trapped in the last large light blue stone. It shattered to reveal a heavily damaged Vanilluxe. The two pokémon inched closer to each other until they were only a few feet separating the two.

Vanilluxe's faces smiled and bowed to Lycanroc respectfully. The wolf pokémon kept a straight face and bowed down to the snowstorm pokémon as well.

 **Draw!**

"I must say you exceeded my expectations, Ash Ketchum." Sun applauded Ash and his Lycanroc.

Ash rubbed the back of his neck embarrassingly. "It's all thanks to you, Sun."

"That may be but I'm still impressed with your progress on day one." Sun gazed at the sun. "It's starting to get late though. We should hold off the training to tomorrow."

Ash was about to speak until his stomach growled loudly. "All this training has made me hungry." He flushed when his friends laughed at the noise.

Hau perked up. "I just so happen to know where we can eat."

Sun gave Hau an all knowing glance. "I think I know what your craving, Hau."

Ash, Sophocles, and Lana stared at them confused when they started counting down.

"Three!"

"Two."

"One!"

"To the Malasada Store!"

 ** _At the Malasada Store..._**

The five trainers were currently at the Malasada Store gladly munching away their hunger. No one seemed more happier than Hau. He was actually enjoying his Malasada for the first time in almost a year. Now that Sun was here, he felt like he could finally relax again.

"Malasada's always taste better when you're pokémon join in on the eating." Hau had ordered six extra Malasada's for each of his pokémon.

Ash observed his pokémon for the first time. His pokémon consisted of an Alolan Raichu who was stealing glances with his Pikachu. Hau's second pokémon was a Tauros which Ash was all too familiar with. The third pokémon was a Flareon that sat close with Sun's healed Glaceon. Ash guessed that they were good pals considering that they came from the same line. His fourth pokémon was a Noivern which also brought back good memories to Ash of his previous journey. Hau's fifth pokémon was a Crabominable. His company was with the rest of Sun's ice-type pokémon. Lastly was Hau's Primarina. She talked with Lana's Popplio, whose eyes were gleaming at its final evolution.

Ash's pokémon kept to themselves with the exception of Poipole and Pikachu. They were ecstatic to make new friends. Ash's Torracat and Lycanroc conversed with Sophocles' Togedemaru and Charjabug. And then there was Decidueye. He was clearly not as sociable as everyone else. Decidueye stayed with his trainer the entire time.

"That hit the spot!" Sun patted his stomach contentedly.

"I'll say!" Ash responded lazily. The food and the training made him tired.

"I still think my mom's homemade malasada's are better than these. But these are good nevertheless," Sophocles added in. He cowered a bit when one of the chefs narrowed her eyes at him.

"They were pretty splendid," Lana admitted shyly. She didn't really talk all that much during the meal. The timid girl anxiously anticipated the talk that Sun mentioned earlier. Lana wasn't sure what to say.

"I don't know about you guys," Sun started after hugging each of his pokémon and returning them back into their poké ball, excluding Decidueye. "But I'm pretty worn out. Today went better than I expected even after the rocky start. I'm going home to get some rest."

Ash peered at the setting sun. "I lost track of time. We have to get going too!" Only his Pikachu remained outside his poké ball. Ash made sure to give Lycanroc a big hug before returning it back into its poké ball.

"I have to go back home too. My sisters might get into some trouble if I'm not there sooner." Lana giggled at the thought.

"Same here. My parents are going to get worried if I stay out longer," Sophocles said. "Today was really great though."

"Yeah it was! I have to head back to Iki Town before it gets too dark. I can't wait to tell grandad all about today! See you four next time!" Hau gave everyone a hug, Lana's being quicker than the rest, before climbing on top of his Tauros and whisking away to the direction of Iki Town.

"Hau sure is a cool friend and seems like a strong trainer. I wish I met him sooner!" Ash said as they departing from the Malasada Store. They were all going the same way.

"That's Hau for you. His grandpa, Hala has been a great motivator for Hau and pressed him on to become a stronger trainer." Sun noticed Ash stop his trek.

"Wait. Hau is Hala's grandson!?" Ash exclaimed with wonderment.

"Sure is! I thought you'd know that if you beat Hala's trial." They first came across Sophocles house and bid him farewell. Sun promised to check out Sophocles' new invention tomorrow.

"Then there were three," Sun mused. "I hope tomorrow goes better. I really wanted to help the professor with making a pokémon league in Alola. But we didn't go anywhere with our talk today!"

"Hmm? What happened?" Ash asked, having missed the earlier part of today. Sun retold the events that went down today with Lana feeling more guilty now that she heard it out loud. It made her, Kiawe, and Mallow sound like the villains. She was about to speak up until her house came to view.

"See you tomorrow, Lana!" Ash waved her goodbye but she didn't move an inch. "Lana?"

"Something the matter water girl?" Sun started to get uncomfortable when she stared at him.

"Y-you said we'd t-talk later…" She spoke quietly.

Sun snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! I completely forgot! Tomorrow for sure. I'm too tired to have a long thorough talk."

Lana could see a faint smile on Sun's face. She returned the gesture. "O-okay! Bye you two!" Lana skipped to her house, relieved.

"Now that it's the two of us. We should talk about what who you want to train next." San caught Pikachu jump hopefully at that.

"Rowlet for sure!" Ash crushed Pikachu's hopes down the drain. "Don't be like that, Pikachu! We'll get to you the day after! We'll head back to Ula'ula Island by Friday."

Sun thought about what Ash said. "That leaves us three days. We can squeeze in training for the rest of your pokémon by then."

"What about Poipole?" Ash tilted his head to the Ultra Beast hovering next to him.

"Ugh, I keep forgetting about that Poipole!" Sun grumbled. He brightened up when he saw his old house. "We can discuss this tomorrow. I want to go home and sleep in my old bed."

Sun grasped his suitcase tighter and winked at his Decidueye. "Ready to head back home?" The dual-type nodded. "Awesome! See you tomorrow, Ash!"

Ash watched Sun enter his house and slam the door shut. He chuckled, thinking about what went down today. He made two new friends and got Lycanroc to handle its quirk.

"Sun's going to make life in Alola more interesting. That's for sure!"

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu agreed. Poipole did so as well.

"Let's continue our walk home," Ash said, taking a few steps forward before gasping. "Oh man! I forgot about Sun's broken window!" Just as he finished saying that, he heard Sun scream.

"Woah! What are all of you wild pokémon doing in my room!?" Ash winced when Sun screamed because of the wild pokémon coming after him.

"Yep. Definitely interesting." Ash walked in a quicker pace, pretending not to hear Sun's pleas of despair.

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Author's Note: Hau's team is based on his Ultra Sun and Moon team. After reading your feedback, Moon will appear in the story shortly! Next chapter will feature more talk about the potential Alola League along with some school shenanigans. There'll be a secret that'll come out in the end. Stay tuned_**!


	5. Mr Sun

**_Author's Note: I want to make something clear before this chapter. In my story, Nanu is going to be more ruthless than he is portrayed in the anime. This is because I believe it will fit in more with my story and piece in his strange acquaintance with Team Rocket Leader, Giovanni. This is the longest chapter in this story. It deals more with personal issues between Sun and everyone else._** **_Also, this story has reached over one thousand views. Thanks a bunch for that! I hope my story interests you readers more as it goes on._**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

It was a regular school day. Class was about to begin in five minutes and some of the students showed up early. This just so happened to be Kiawe and Lana. Lana's unruly sisters woke her up early without a care. Kiawe always woke up early so he was usually one of the first ones in class. Kiawe sat at the far end of the right corner. Lana was at the opposite end. Their pokémon were with them.

"Strange. Sophocles usually beats me here," Kiawe muttered. Sophocles' absence automatically drove worry to Kiawe.

"I'm sure he slept in a little. We all do it at some point," Lana said, easing some of Kiawe's worries.

"I guess." Kiawe switched gears to a more important topic. "So how did it go yesterday? I hope Sun didn't give you any trouble. If he did let me know right now." He cracked his knuckles with a menacing look in his eyes.

"N-nope. I hid myself behind a bush for the entire time," Lana lied. She wasn't going to tell Kiawe that she joined in on the action. He'd throw a fit if he found out that Lana wasn't paying attention to Ash. Which she did for the most part anyway. But if she were to include the part where she was standing close to Sun then it'd cause an outcry from Kiawe and Mallow. She needed to find out Sun's true intentions when they have their talk.

 _'I still hate Sun! It's not like I'm enjoying hanging out with him again. Things changed yesterday since Sun almost met his drastic fate. Now that he is safe, I don't have to pretend to care about him. I'll just have my conversation with him and find out any ulterior motives that he may be hiding.'_ Lana thought to herself.

"Good. Sun's smart enough not to tick me off. What happened during their training then?" Kiawe asked with curiosity.

Lana poked her index fingers together. She gave him some true information alongside some false information. "Well, I saw that meanie, Sun command Ash to do his every word. He played a mean prank on Ash's Rowlet to get it to wake up. Then he chose to train Lycanroc first…" Lana paused, it was disheartening to recall what almost transpired with Sun and Lycanroc, regardless of her feelings.

"And?" Kiawe motioned her to continue, not knowing why she stopped abruptly.

"And… and Sun bossed it around. He nearly paid for it too." Lana winced at her wording. "His grueling training was rough but he pressured Ash to control Lycanroc when it goes berserk. He actually did it in the end. Then he and Sun had a battle to test Lycanroc's power. Ash… w-won in the end after h-his Ly-Lycanroc learned Stone E-edge and beat V-Vanilluxe." Lana mentally scolded herself for stuttering throughout her explanation. She hated lying to her friends but she needed them to hear that Sun didn't change.

 _'They wouldn't believe me anyway and call me a liar. Just like they did to Sophocles. This is the best thing to do.'_ Lana's train of thought was cut off by a newcomer.

"Hey guys!" Mallow greeted the two politely along with her Steenee. She sat next to Kiawe. "So what happened yesterday? Did Sun do anything terrible to Ash?"

Kiawe began retelling Mallow everything that Lana told him. Mallow smiled when he said that Ash beat Sun in a one-on-one battle. Lana's guilt increased by the second as she watched Mallow eat up her lies. It was then that someone else entered the classroom.

"Hello everyone," Lillie uttered, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Hey, Lillie!" Mallow responded happily, not paying Lillie's current state to mind. "You sort of left us yesterday when you ran away without saying anything. What was that all about?" Mallow was met with no response. Lillie seated herself in the middle with Snowy, right next to Mallow.

"I got it. You know, when we saw you grab Sun's wrist I thought you were going to give him a piece of your mind. Maybe even throw a slap in there. But then you sped off. Was Sun bothering you to the point that it made you feel uncomfortable? Is that why you left in a hurry? If so then I'll have to teach him not to mess with one of my friends," Mallow finished, none too pleased with the thought.

"If that's the case then I'll join you." Kiawe pounded his fists together. "He'll wish that he was back in Kanto after I'm done with him. Sun will know when to back off when he crossed his limits. Just thinking about it makes me-" Kiawe's threat was interrupted when...

"NO!!!!!" Lillie screamed at the top of her lungs. Her friends jump slightly at the level of her voice. No one had been expecting that. "No! No! No! No! No no no!!!!!" Lillie continued, pulling the edges of her hat down to express her anguish.

"What's up, guys? Is Professor Kukui here…" Ash made his way in the classroom but stopped when he stared at the mournful Lillie. She repeated the same word over and over. "What's going on with Lillie!?" Ash rushed to his friend worriedly.

"No no no no no!!!" Lillie could feel tears start pouring down her eyes. This concerned her friends even more.

"Was it my fault?" Kiawe inquired since he was the one speaking before her outbreak. "I'm sorry if I came out too harshly. Though, Sun still needs to be taught a lesson for upsetting you in any-"

"NO!!!!!" Lillie shrieked in Kiawe's face. The taller boy covered his face with his arms when she did so. Snowy poked her nose on Lillie's arm, confused as to why her trainer was acting this way.

Just then, Sophocles entered the room with dark rings around his eyes.

"Hey guys…" He yawned tiredly. It was then that he noticed the predicament at hand. "What's wrong with Lillie?" He asked.

Kiawe answered him, "We don't know. I think it may be my fault though. But why are you here later than you usually are?"

Sophocles chuckled, embarrassed. "I stayed up a couple hours more deciding which invention I wanted to show Sun." He ignored Kiawe's scoff. "Then it hit me. It's not my invention but rather a modification. So I brought my…" Sophocles pulled out a device from his pockets. "Ta-da!"

Kiawe sweatdropped. "Your... gaming device? What's it called again? A Switch?"

Sophocles nodded. "Yep! Though, what's different about this one is that I modded it and the games with it! The games are way different now while the Switch is now waterproof and indestructible!" Sophocles tried to sound happy but Lillie's sadness really brought down the mood in the classroom.

"That's awesome, Sophocles! You sure do have a way with building stuff." Kiawe gave him a thumbs up before directing his attention to the crying Lillie.

"How can we help her feel better?" Sophocles put away his Switch and looked on, troubled.

"Maybe we can-" For the third time this morning, Kiawe was interjected by the sound of honking. Intrigued, everyone but Lillie went to the railing of the classroom to see what was going on.

"There's Sun again. With his Team Skull buddies." Mallow clicked her tongue dismissively. Having seen enough, she went back to console Lillie.

Lana was miffed at what she gazed upon. Sun was there in one of those bikes that Team Skull used as transportation. What irked Lana even more was the Team Skull clothing that he was still wearing. Sun fist bumped the grunts before walking past the entrance of the school.

"It's like he wants us to know that he's with Team Skull. He's doing it in public too!" Kiawe let out an exasperated sigh, not wanting to deal with Sun at the moment. He joined Mallow in her quest to find out what was wrong with Lillie.

"Sun's a bit lazy," Sophocles said, a bit unsure of himself. "Perhaps he wanted a free ride." Sun wasn't in their view anymore since he entered the school.

"I hope you're right," Ash replied. The two headed back to their seats. Ash sat in the middle, in front of Lillie while Sophocles fixated himself in between Lillie and Lana's seat.

Lana didn't leave the spot. Instead she stared at the blazing sun.

 _'That should be more than enough proof. Sun hasn't changed since his last visit. If that were true then what was yesterday all about? He led a grunt on a wild goose chase and told us that he no longer wanted to be associated with them. This is too much to take in.'_ Lana pondered while making her way to her seat. Speaking of Sun, he finally made it in the classroom.

"Wubba lubba dub dub!" Sun exclaimed boisterously. "Sun's here to make this class less boring. No more professor's being buzzkills on my watch!" Sun pointed his thumb backwards at himself. He was dumbfounded when no one acknowledged him. "Whatever." Sun leaned back against a ladder. He was wrong about one thing, someone did notice him when he walked in.

"No no no n-huh?" Lillie's eyes softened when she met Sun's eye. Her constant "no" rambling vanished and she wiped the tears from her face. Everyone was shocked to see their friend calm down in an instant. She picked up Snowy and hugged her for comfort.

"S-sun..." She mumbled, shifting the attention to the returning Sun. Beneath her despair, her friends could see the faintest of a smile on her face. Even if it was barely visible to the eye.

" _Now_ you all know I'm here," Sun grumbled before flashing a cocky smirk. "How do you think I look? Pretty stylish, right?" To their shock, Sun was in a completely different outfit than they seen him a few minutes ago.

Sun's apparel now consisted of a yellow t-shirt which had a orange sun taking up the entire front side of the shirt. He wore a grey cargo shorts and a pair of black sandals. He also had a straw boater hat with sunglasses resting on the edge of the hat. Sun proudly presented himself to everyone.

"Looking classy, Sun!" Ash complimented, relieved that Sun didn't wear the same clothes that he wore before.

"It really suits you well, Sun!" Sophocles agreed, finding it pretty funny that Sun had an image of a sun on his shirt.

"Pfft. You still look stupid!" Mallow huffed, crossing her arms and turning her head away.

"What happened to that Team Skull outfit you came to school with?!" Kiawe demanded. "We all saw you arrive here with Team Skull in those bikes so don't even try to deny it!" Kiawe thought that he had Sun cornered. To his dismay, Sun didn't falter from his badgering.

"After I woke up from my painful sleep since apparently _someone_ couldn't hear my desperate pleas." Sun slightly narrowed his eyes at Ash.

"Heh heh. I have no idea what you're talking about." Ash avoided Sun's eye.

"Anyway, after I left my house, I got bombarded by the same Team Skull grunt from yesterday. Luckily I saw him through my _broken window_ so I dressed up with the clothes he gave me yesterday while I brought some extra clothes to wear afterwards. He offered me a ride so who was I to refuse? Surely beats walking," Sun finished with a shrug.

"You were right, Sophocles," Ash mused. It eased his nerves of Sun becoming what his friends say.

"Y-you look nice…" Lillie said as quiet as a mouse. In fact, nobody heard her say it. Though, Lana seemed to hear the last word and turned to Lillie. The blonde was peering down at the floor shyly. Lana brushed it off when Professor Kukui came in the classroom.

"Good morning class! I hope you all had a good night's sleep." His focus shifted between Sun and Mallow. "I also hope there won't be any pointless arguments this time around."

Sun's face scrunched up. "Can't make any promises." Mallow stayed silent, wanting to steer away from trouble.

"All I ask is to keep anything negative to yourselves. That goes for everyone." They all nodded understandably. "Excellent! I want to start class off with asking how things went yesterday after class. And I'll let Ash tell us. Please come to the front of the classroom," Professor Kukui announced, stepping aside and he sat in Ash's seat.

"Sure can do!" Ash chirped, excited to tell the professor about everything that he learned from Sun. Pikachu and Poipole went with him. Sun went to the back of the classroom and leaned on the railing. Decidueye perched himself on top of the railing and watched on with his trainer.

"After class ended, Sun and I had a one-on-one battle. My Pikachu against his Ninetales. I lost but it did teach me to never let my guard down!" Sun smiled at Ash's conclusion, happy that he learned something.

"That's good, Ash! Do tell what happened next." Professor Kukui let him continue.

"Kiawe and Sun got in a two on two battle next. Sun used his Glaceon and Sandslash. It was really cool watching the battle. Both gave it their all! In the end, Sun won but I was proud of them both!" Ash's eyes sparkled, remembering the thrilling battle.

"Thanks Ash." Kiawe's chest warmed at the praise while Sun nodded.

"Then there was a third battle. It was Sun against Mallow. Her Steenee versus his Decidueye. Although, it was a bit too fast for my liking. I got to see how strong Sun is during all these battles."

Sun burst out laughing. "A bit too fast? More like less than thirty seconds! Ha!" Mallow's face heated in embarrassment.

"Shut it, you! It looks like you forgot when Hala crushed you without losing a single pokémon. You didn't even land three hits on his pokémon!" Mallow fired back, satisfied with his priceless reaction.

"Oh yeah!? I recall when-" Sun was silenced by the professor.

"Let's not have a repeat of yesterday. Show some respect to your classmate," Kukui scolded the two.

"But I'm not even enrolled in this school!" Sun complained, turning angry when Mallow stuck out her tongue at him.

"Right." Ash awkwardly shifted his feet. "Back to where I left off. We all were heading to the pokémon center when we ran into one of Sun's old friends, Hau!"

"Hau? That's odd. I thought he'd stay back in his house. Oh, I'm sorry. Please continue," Kukui apologized for interjection.

"That's alright! Hau joined us to go to the pokémon center. Sun, Sophocles, Hau and I left to do some training! The others stayed behind. Well, except for Lana." Immediately after saying that, Lana felt her whole world crumble.

"What!? I thought you said you didn't get spotted!" Kiawe whispered to Lana in a hushed tone. She was too stunned to respond.

"Sun and I trained my Lycanroc. It was a brutal training session but we managed to control its berserk side whenever it gets dirty! There were some close calls. Even Lana joined in and saved Sun from its wrath!" Ash unknowingly sealed Lana's fate between her friends.

"Lana…" Kiawe's voiced startled her. "What's he on about? Not bossing Lycanroc around?! Saving Sun!?" Mallow was also annoyed that Lana's words turned out to be fibs.

"We had another battle. My Lycanroc against his Vanilluxe. It ended with a tie! Plus, Lycanroc learned Stone Edge! It was really cool seeing it in action! When our training ended, Sun, Sophocles, Hau, Lana, and I went to grab something to eat at the Malasada Store! Finally, we all walked back home together. It was a really fun day thanks to Sun!" Ash explained cheerfully. A smile was present on the professor's face, hearing that Sun was already good friends with Ash.

"You bet!" Sun and Sophocles said in unison. It was then that something caught Sun's attention.

"A tie!? Eating Malasadas and heading home together!? Lana, why did you lie to your friends? You're becoming just as bad as Sun." The sudden realization hit him like a bag of rocks. Mallow was on par with him.

"Why did you do it, Lana?" Mallow asked. Lillie shivered in her seat. She looked around for help. The professor was talking with Ash and Sophocles. Lillie was staring off into space. Lana was alone and helpless.

"I-I... m-my…" Lana was on the verge of tears. Her friends were angry at her. She knew lying was a bad idea. It was an even terrible idea to be near Sun in general. It was _his_ fault that this was happening. It seemed like all hope was lost until a voice spoke up.

"Obviously you two are as dense as ever!" Sun broke in, a scowl present on his face. "I told Ash to lie about everything that happened or else I'd stop training him. I didn't even know you were with us, water girl! It's a mystery how Ash knew. Hasn't anyone told you not to spy on others!? Sun snarled, faking his irritation. He slyly winked at her so she'd get the memo.

Lana's heart skipped a beat. Sun was defending her!? He lied to Kiawe and Mallow so that she wouldn't deal with their wrath. This was the moment in time where she started to see Sun in a different light. Well, not different per say, but in a familiar way than a few days ago. The same type of way she visualized him when they were younger.

"You did!? How dare you, Sun! Using Ash to hide your true self! I'm sorry Lana, I should've trusted your word," Kiawe apologised, bowing his head down. "I should've known Sun would pull something like this."

Mallow was the same way. "I'm really sorry too, Lana. That was rude of me for accusing you of lying before knowing the full story. I hope you forgive me."

Sun laughed darkly. "Pretty ironic, eh? At least in my eyes. You idiots don't even know yet."

Kiawe growled, "I'll get you for this, Sun! You won't use or bad mouth my friends and get away with it!" For some strange reason, Lana was bothered with Kiawe's declaration.

 _"Professorrrrr_ , Kiawe's trying to pick a fight with _meeee_ Sun snitched on Kiawe in a childlike tone. Kiawe mentally cursed Sun for this.

"Kiawe! After what I said you still want to act up?" Professor Kukui sputtered in disbelief. "You know what that means…"

"Noooo!" Kiawe cried out, slamming his head on the desk.

A few minutes later, Kiawe grumbled under his breath as he wore a cone with the word, **JERK,** on it, courtesy of Sun.

"You'll be able to remove that cone after you've shown me you can behave. I'm having zero tolerance with any misbehavior in this classroom," Kukui sternly informed his class.

"Yessir." Kiawe felt utterly humiliated. Sun won the mini war this time. But it won't happen again.

"Now then. Thank you for telling us everything that went down, Ash. I'm proud of your progress and wish you the best of luck for that progress to grow. And Sun." Sun mockingly saluted the professor when his name was called. "I'm delighted to hear that you're getting along with Ash. And the fact that you changed up your image. Good job." Ash and the professor swapped spots.

"Aw shucks, Professor Kukui." Sun fanned his face with his hand.

Professor Kukui chuckled, "Now then, let's pick off where we left off yesterday. I want to hear some ideas about an Alola League right now!"

"Tournament style!" Ash answered first.

"How about we make an Elite Four like other regions do and those who beaten all four trials battle them and then face the champion!" Kiawe chimed in, forgetting about his embarrassment.

"Or one person can be chosen to be champion, like how a Kahuna is chosen for each island!" Sophocles added in.

"I'm liking these ideas!" Professor Kukui said gleefully. "How about you, Sun? What do you think we should do. After all, it's the only reason why you're here, right?"

Sun pondered about it for a few seconds. "Hmm. I like the tournament style idea since I've been in one of those. But the question is, how we can get those participants?"

Ash stepped in. "How about those who've beaten every trial can automatically qualify for the league? Just like having to earn all eight gym badges in other regions." Everyone seemed interested in this idea.

"That could work but I'm afraid it might be a problem." Kukui went on when he saw his students glance at him questionably. "The island trials rarely garner any attention now and days. It used to back then but when people discovered that most trial-goers fail miserably and end up becoming a part of Team Skull, they didn't want any part of it. The people that do trials usually only complete about one or two trials to get a particular z-crystal or for the heck of it."

Professor Kukui continued, "Plus, Ula'ula Island very rarely has challengers. Everyone who has taken the challenge knows that Nanu isn't one to mess with. He beats ninety percent of his challengers and tells them that they'll never beat him. Most take it to heart and abandon the trial in Ula'ula Island. The ones that try and try countless times can never seem to get around him. Nanu eventually loses interest and forgets about them entirely. There'd be a small chance that people complete every trial. The only one who managed to do so is in this classroom," Kukui finished his explanation.

Sun had beads of sweat fall from his face when everyone looked at him. "Y-yeah… don't forgot about Hau. If I hadn't left Alola I'm positive he'd beaten all the trials too..." Losing his mojo, Sun excused himself to go to the bathroom to recuperate.

Mallow grinned smugly at Sun's depressed state. "This might be a long shot but why don't you tell Nanu to take it down a notch?"

Professor Kukui sighed, "He'd never do that. He didn't want to be a Kahuna in the first place so he doesn't listen to any of the higher officials or sometimes even the Tapus. He blames them for his current position."

Sophocles raised his hand. "Perhaps someone else could fill in that role instead." Professor Kukui thought about this.

"I doubt that'll ever happen right now. Only Kahunas can give out a trial. Kahunas change when the current one either passes away or is forced out of the position by the island guardian deity," The professor surmised wistfully.

"Then I'm stumped." Ash rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "I'm glad that I told Nanu that I'd be back for a rematch and he said that he'd be expecting me until then. But after what you and Sun mentioned about Nanu, I don't have much time until he loses interest." Ash rubbed the temples on his forehead, taking in too much information at once. It stressed him out.

"I'll have to talk about it to Principal Samson later today," Professor Kukui concluded, hesitantly ending the meeting now before his students moods go down any further. Especially Sun, who came back in the classroom wiping his eyes with his hand.

"You alright, Sun?" Sophocles asked, observing the gesture.

"Y-yeah. Nothing to fret about," Sun assured his friend. "Some bad memories sprouted, that's all."

Professor Kukui felt like he was to blame for this. In an effort to fix his mistake, he offered something to Sun.

"Why don't you stick around for today, Sun? See how the old class has been doing so far. In fact, you can present today's task!" The professor smiled when Sun perked up because of the offer.

"But professor!" Mallow cut in, turning Sun glum again. "We won't learn anything if he's the one in charge for today!" She came to this school to learn. Not to be taught some useless lesson by the former Team Skull grunt.

Professor Kukui shook his head. "What did I say about manners, Mallow? I'm sure you know what this means."

Similar to Kiawe, Mallow groaned out loud. "Noooo!"

 ** _A few minutes later..._**

"Welcome to the club," Kiawe mused, chuckling from the view of Mallow's cone with the word, **MEANIE** , on it.

"Shut it, jerk," Mallow retorted. The class was awaiting Sun to return with his lesson for today.

"Hiyah!" Four minutes later, Sun barged in pushing a cart into the classroom. Professor Kukui bid his students farewell so he could go visit Principal Samson. The professor transferred his duties to the former student.

"Listen up students! For today you shall all refer to me as Mr. Sun. I bring you today's lesson!" He gestured his hand towards the cart filled with various items.

"Um, Mr. Sun!" Ash was jumping in his seat.

"Yes, Ash Ketchum?" Sun quirked an eyebrow due to Ash's weird behavior.

"Can I use the restroom?" This question proved fatal for Ash.

"I don't know, _caaaan_ you?" Sun questioned obnoxiously.

" _May_ I use the restroom?" Ash rephrased his sentence to appeal to Sun.

"Already trying to skip out on my lesson, hmm? Students like you deserve to be punished! You may go to the restroom but you'll come back properly punished." Ash didn't know what he meant by it but he wasn't concerned about it. He jumped out of his seat and sprinted out the doorway.

"Hehehe..." Sun snickered, finding a cone and scribbling something on it.

"Mr. Sun? I'm not too sure teachers should enjoy disciplining their students!" Lana squeaked. She regretted it when Sun grabbed another cone.

"I'm sorry water girl, but are you trying to teach me how to run my class? Student's like you must know your place as a simpleton by getting punished!" Sun couldn't believe how malevolent Professor Kukui's students were acting towards him.

Suddenly, Lillie unconsciously moved her desk closer to get a better look at Sun. Unfortunately, the sound of the desk scraping the floor was very audible to one's ears.

Sun instantly turned around to find the culprit of the sound. "Blondie! How dare you make such loud noises during my lesson! Student's like you are required to be punished!" A tick mark appeared on Sun's head when he realized that she wasn't listening to him. Instead, she had a faraway gaze on him.

Being pushed to his limits, Sun snatched a wooden pointer and slapped it on the chalkboard. Lillie squealed, being snapped out of her stupor.

"I see. You think it's funny to ignore your substitute since I'm not your real teacher! Student's like you are obligated to receive double the punishment!" Sun reached for two more cones and wrote to his heart's desire.

"Oh brother..." Sophocles sweatdropped. He was the only student that wasn't in trouble right now. The lesson hadn't even started yet! It was in his best interest to keep quiet.

"Ahhh…" Ash returned to the classroom with a relieved smile on his face. "I shouldn't have drank so much water before I came here." A question mark popped beside his head when he detected his friends downcast frowns.

"What did I miss?" Answering his questions, Sun removed Ash's hat and replaced it with a cone that read, **SKIPPER** , on it.

"Aw man. Not the cone of shame." Ash grieved over his dastardly deed and sat in his seat.

Sun marched over to the other students and placed the remaining cones on each of the unruly students heads.

"I've never been in trouble at school before." Lana feared that her entire school career was over. Ash squinted his eyes and read, **SMART** **ALEC** , on her cone. Sun had to linger beside Lillie's desk longer to dispose of her hat. The blonde gently closed her eyes as Sun brushed some of her long hair away to make room for her two caps with, **LOUDMOUTH** and **DELINQUENT** , written on it.

"There." Proud of his handiwork, Sun went back to the front of the class, taking Lillie hat with him and placing it on one of the steps of the ladder.

"I sincerely hope you all will learn your lesson. Please don't do anything reckless like your troublesome classmates, Sophocles." Sun wiggled the cart back and forth, ready for his lesson.

"Yes, Mr. Sun!" Sophocles saluted his teacher. Luckiy for him, Sun didn't mind it and began speaking.

"I'm sure you're all wondering what these items are going to be used for. It covers today's lesson: being innovative and using what you can to make something useful. It is similar to pokémon adapting to their surroundings and finding a way to use it to their advantage!" Sun explained the simple lesson to the class.

"This is going to be fun!" Sophocles exclaimed, eager to put his craftsmanship to the test.

"This might actually not be as bad as I imagined," Mallow said before puffing out her cheeks. "Don't get the wrong idea though!"

"I'll be the one with the best creation!" Kiawe declared with flames flickering in his eyes.

"I'm glad you students are so enthusiastic about this activity! I'll explain the rules. You may only pick four things out of this cart so choose wisely. The creation must be something that can benefit you as a person. I don't want to see any electronics! That would just make the assignment too easy!

"Aw man," Sophocles whined. Electronics were his speciality. That meant he needed to try extra harder if he wanted to come out on top.

"There'll be a time limit of one hour so make it count students. When your time is up, everyone will present their creation to the class and tell us why it's beneficial. After presentations are done I'll pick the winner and they will receive a special mystery prize!" Sun grinned when the mention of a prize riled the students into a frenzy.

"Prize!?" Ash exclaimed. "Now I have to win and find out what it is!" His friends agreed with him.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu cried out ecstatically.

"Here's the catch." Sun brought their attention back. "Your pokémon will not assist you in any way. This lesson is mainly about you guys as trainers. If I see this happen then you'll be disqualified and face severe punishment!"

"Why is punishment your answer for everything?" Lana spoke louder than she intended it to be. Sun's face darkened, displeased of her attitude.

"What's this? You still want to teach me how to run my class? Students like you deserve the most terrible punishment known to humanity! Get up and come here."

Lana felt a shiver go up her spine. Reluctantly, she walked to the front of the class. Sun went to get her chair and placed it by one of the corners of the classroom. Popplio whimpered, knowing what Lana was in for. It looked like not even pokémon were safe from Sun.

"Eh!? Your Popplio is brave enough to speak up and justify my actions? Like trainer, like pokémon! You are going to face punishment too!"

A minute later, Lana was sitting at the corner of the room, forced to stare at the wall. Her Popplio was in her arms, wearing a small cone that read: **SMART ALEC JR.**

"Pika..." Pikachu was nervous, seeing his friend being punished by Sun. He wanted to avoid this at all cost. His best bet was to stay silent.

"Now then." Sun rolled the cart over to Sophocles. "Since Sophocles is the only one that's mature around here he gets first dibs!"

"Sweet!" Sophocles cheered, inspecting each item on the cart. His four items consisted of a potato, two large liters of pop, and a large yarn of string.

"Nice choices. Ash, you're up next." Sun traveled to Ash's desk next.

"Let's see here." Ash examined each individual item and selected a big wooden spoon, a canister of beads, a stick of glue, and a tiny wig.

"Such obscure things," Kiawe commented on the weird items.

"It's your go." Sun allowed him to search for his materials. Kiawe hummed, strategically thinking what will help him win. He ended up choosing a slab of wood, a chisel (with supervision of course), goggles, and a string spool.

"Hurry it up green." Sun rolled his eyes at Mallow. The green haired girl glared at Sun before taking her four items. They were two rolls of fabric, fabric glue, and a small bottle of green glitter.

"Blondie, you're up." Lillie slowly retrieved her items, a bit embarrassed of what she interpreted as Sun staring at her. In reality, he was impatient and wanted her to hurry up. She chose two color construction papers that were yellow and orange. Then finally a black marker and scissors.

"Th-thank y-you," Lillie stuttered. Sun shrugged and rolled the cart back to the front of the class.

"Sir. What about Lana?" Sophocles inquired.

"I appreciate you looking after your classmates. However, Lana's serving out her punishment and will not participate in the lesson," Sun informed the class. They all wanted to speak up for Lana, but knew what price they'll pay if they did so.

"Wait until you all get a load of this!" Kiawe scurried to one side of the classroom so no one would peek at his creation. His friends followed his lead and spreaded out.

"See that, Decidueye? I make a good teacher since they're so indulged in my lesson." Decidueye gave his trainer a peck to the arm. "Ouch! Calm your feathers!" Sun's senses heightened when he heard sniffling in the corner of the classroom.

"Water girl?" Sure enough, Lana was sitting in her chair sobbing quietly. Sun did an intake of the classroom and saw that everyone was too distracted by their creations. Sighing, he made his way over to the corner.

"Yo, water girl. Why are you crying?" Huffing at the silent treatment that he was receiving, Sun put his foot down. "You better tell your teacher or you'll face worser consequences!" Lana sobbed a bit louder, causing Sun to figure out what her deal was.

"Oh, so my disciplinary is what's bumming you out. I know what'll cheer you up." Sun stood behind the chair and crouched down a little to meet the chair's height.

"Wah!" Lana's body tensed when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. "S-sun!" Her entire face flushed from the gesture. "W-what if the others see?!"

Sun rested his chin on top of her head. "Relax water girl. They're too busy with their lesson to notice." After a minute, Sun let go. "What? No thank you?"

Lana got over her strange trance and spoke. "O-oh! Thank you for cheering me up."

"I'm not talking about that, water girl. I was referring to when I saved you from those two earlier." Sun tilted his head towards Mallow and Kiawe.

"R-right. Thank you for that too. But why did you do it? Ash was telling the truth. Why did you cover up my lies?" The questioned lingered in her mind since it occurred.

"Duh," Sun said lazily. "I didn't want you to end up like me. You know, losing your friends…" Sun trailed off, bitterly remembering the past. "B-but that was my choice. A choice that I don't regret "

"What do you mean?" Lana asked, genuinely curious.

"You'll learn in due time, water girl. I saw green and Kiawe giving you a hard time with your web of lies. It was totally my fault so I fixed it. Nothing bad happened. You still have your friends and they continue to hate me. Fair bargain." Sun pursed his lips, realizing that he actually defended a person he was suppose to hate.

Lana was having similar thoughts. "It wasn't your fault. It was my own choice to accompany you guys to the Malasada Store, the trip back home, and saving you."

Sun turned red from the last part. It was embarrassing enough that his enemy rescued him. "O-oh yeah. Thanks for the save by the way. I don't think I'd be here right now if you didn't." Apparently that wasn't the best way of putting it. Lana hit him square in the stomach.

"Don't say it like that dummy! You're making me feel worse by having those thoughts."

"Noted."

Their conversation changed into an awkward silence. Sun supervised Kiawe's use of the chisel and carefully.

"Now's probably the best time to have our conversation," Sun reminded her. "Ask me anything to get started. I'll probably answer most of your questions." Sun made a mental note not to say anything too personal to Lana.

"O-okay!" Lana poked Popplio's nose playfully. "Are you really Sun?"

Sun laughed. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" It had to be the silliest question Sun had answered.

"Why are you so nice all of a sudden then?" Lana pressed on, recalling the time when Sun was a total nightmare to be around.

"What do you mean? I've always been this way. I just haven't been nice to you four," He answered truthfully.

"Why only us?" Lana's question ticked Sun off.

"You know why." Lana was about to ask what he meant but Sun stopped her. "Change the subject, water girl."

Sensing Sun's temper rising, Lana moved on. "Do you really want to help Ash get stronger or are you messing with him."

"Eh? You've seen the progress we've already made. Why even ask? Of course I want him to get stronger!" Lana blushed because of her obvious question.

"Why?"

Sun was quick to answer. "I mean, you saw his pokémon. They were dysfunctional. It wouldn't have been right to ignore it. He's challenging Nanu's trial which has to be the hardest one in my opinion. There's no way he's going to beat Nanu without my help. Or at least if he took up proper training. He might get obsessed with it to the point that he eventually quits and joins Team Skull. Like most trial-goers…"

Lana admitted that she felt sorry for the boy. She knew that he was talking about himself even if he didn't say it. But he didn't quit the island challenge until after the old Team Skull were disbanded. He doesn't fit in with the group of failed trial-goers that became Team Skull members when they were fed up with the challenge. She thought about debating with him on the subject, though seeing his pained expression made her repel the idea.

"I have one more question," Lana piped up. "Do you plan on entering the Alola League?"

Lana's question caught him off guard. Did he plan on participating? He was positive that Ash and Kiawe are going to be there. Maybe Gladion, too. The blonde boy made his intentions clear during the day before he was scheduled to compete in the final trial. Gladion announced that he was going to take on and complete the island challenge so they'd have a champion battle. It flattered him that Gladion believed in him like Sophocles did. His whereabouts were unknown to Sun.

"I don't know, maybe. Maybe not. I don't plan on staying in Alola. It has carried some resentful and upsetting memories with me. I only returned because Professor Kukui requested me to. My mom and our Meowth are back in Kanto. We live in my parents hometown, Vermilion City. It's pretty cozy there honestly. I never would have thought that I'd come back to Alola with everything that went down before I left for good." Sun awkwardly glanced to the side.

"What about your friends? Wouldn't you miss them if you never came back?"

Sun stared at Sophocles with a smile. "Of course I would miss them. As far as I know, I only have two friends. They can handle themselves. I believed Hau would've become champion and Sophocles… well my mind said that I'd hear about him a lot in the news. I always pictured him to be a famous inventor when he's older."

Lana giggled. "That's what I think too!" She found it much easier to talk to Sun now than she did before.

"Sophocles said he'd bring one of his inventions to show me today." Sun grinned wickedly. "It's going to have to wait until after school ends though. As a teacher I must act professional and set a positive image for my students. No fiddling around with an invention."

"I'm not sure if hugging counts as being professional," Lana flatly stated. Sun's cheeks flared red and he avoided her eyes. Lana registered what she said in her mind and also blushed, finding interest in the floor.

Popplio barked, puzzled as to why the two were acting strangely. This caused Sun and Lana to laugh awkwardly.

"You know water…" Sun paused before continuing."...Lana." Hearing her name made Lana freeze. "You aren't really that bad after all. Though, something's still bugging me about you. A big issue. It may take a while but I consider this our first step to reconciliation. Do you feel the same way?"

Sun wasn't afraid to admit it anymore. He enjoyed Lana's company. She's even more understanding than she was before the whole incident. The others weren't the same story. Kiawe was on the verge of unforgiveness while Mallow was already in that category. As for Lillie, Sun was closer to her than anyone else, including Hau. It hurt him the most when she turned her back against him. He wanted to rank her in the same group as Mallow, but he didn't have the willpower to do so. It was a complete mystery to him.

Sun perceived Lana as the quiet one. Ever since their first meeting as kids, the blue haired girl was always shy. When it came to Sun's final days in Alola, Lana rarely shared what was on her mind, unlike Kiawe and Mallow. Nevertheless, her betrayal stung as much as the others. It was something that haunted Sun each day. Due to her lackluster role in making him feel like a Magikarp, Sun had found it easier to interact with her. What pulled him away from fully forgiving her was the trust that she broke.

Lana was in her own little world going over what Sun said. There was an issue between them that she couldn't figure out. What she did know was that it went both ways. She had an issue with his betrayal and dedication to Team Skull. It was one of those world shattering moments when Sun appeared dressed as a Team Skull grunt. The suffering that she and her friends went through was unforgivable. He hurt everyone emotionally and mentally.

But now, Sun was behaving similar to his former shadow. The helpful and outgoing Sun was slowly emerging again. However, Sun clarified that he remained the same but not to Lana and her friends, minus Sophocles. Which further hinted Sun's problem with them. It was going to be weeks, maybe even months or years until she got the answers she so desperately desires. Sun was right about one thing, this conversation was the first step to rekindle their broken friendship. If Sun was willing to set aside his differences for her, then who was she to do the same?

Besides, she missed having the old Sun as a friend.

"Yes!" Lana stood on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sun chuckled and pulled her in for an embrace. Popplio clapped its flippers together, delighted at the shattered friendship reviving itself.

"Wait." Lana pulled back. "What about Mallow and Kiawe? Maybe Lillie, too. If they see us together then there'll be an encore of this morning. I don't want to lose any of my friends." She pouted wistfully to Sun, expecting him to solve the problem like he always did.

"Then." He booped Lana's tiny nose softly. "We'll have to keep this a secret. Like undercover agents hiding their true identities or thieves storing their stolen possessions in hidden safes! If they do manage to discover us then I'll handle it personally, no physical contact though. I'm positive that Sophocles, Ash and probably even Hau wouldn't mind. A few questions in the beginning but they'll accept it. They're understanding friends. We'll make sure that they don't mention anything about us," Sun resolved the situation thoughtfully.

Lana beamed brightly. "That's all wonderful! And it does feel like we're criminals lying low from the authorities. It'll be thrilling!"

Sun took his eyes off Lana and observed his students progress. If he had to guess, there was approximately a half hour left to go. Plenty of time to get to know Lana again.

"There's thirty minutes remaining before the time limit runs out. We should use this time to get to know each other once more. I'll tell you about my experience in Kanto and you can tell me what's been happening here after I left," Sun suggested. Lana responded with a quick yes.

The half hour went by fast and Sun wrapped things up with Lana. "They're going to snap back to reality any minute now. It'd be best if we end our conversation before we're spotted."

Lana nodded, a bit crestfallen. "I understand."

Sun shifted awkwardly. "I got to keep my hatred to you going or else they'll catch on. I want to apologize in advance."

Hearing this, Lana sat back in her seat and faced the wall. "Thanks for the heads up." If he hadn't given her that warning, Lana would've guessed that Sun was faking it the entire time.

"You're welcome." Sun clapped his hands to bring back their attention. "Okay class, time is up!"

"Phew. Finished in the nick of time," Kiawe huffed, admiring his handiwork.

"Darn it! I didn't finish putting all my decorations in!" Mallow complained, stomping her feet to the ground.

"Boy, that was exhilarating. I never rushed an invention that fast before!" Sophocles exclaimed.

"Uhh… now that I see it, you do have a point Pikachu. I didn't know what I was thinking when I was making this," Ash sighed in defeat. Pikachu patted his shoulder to soothe his disappointment.

"I hope I don't come off as weird," Lillie said to Snowy, clutching her creation to her chest.

"I just know that I'm going to love your creations. Since I'm in a good mood I'll allow water girl to watch the presentations!" Lana bounced out her seat with Popplio and skipped to her usual seat. She didn't miss the wink Sun discreetly gave her.

"I'll be asking for volunteers first. Anyone?" To his shock, not a single hand was raised. "Oh, don't everyone volunteer at once," Sun said sarcastically. In truth, no one volunteered because they didn't know what to expect with Sun judging their creations.

"I'll pick someone then!" Sun declared. "Green, you're first!" His smiled stretched wider at Mallow's groan of disapproval.

"Alright…" Mallow grudgingly stood in front of the class. "What I made to adapt to my surroundings is a… hat!" The green haired girl showed everyone her poorly made hat with glitter placed in an unorganized manner.

"A hat?" Sun quirked an eyebrow.

"Yep! It helps you adapt to Alola's climate which consists of hot and... well hot! This puppy will keep your head cool and keep the _annoying_ _sun_ out of your eyes!"

Sun placed his hand over his heart, offended. "Why I never! Not only is your hat boring, it doesn't stand out from any other hat either. Hat's won't help you adapt. Next!" Sun dismissed Mallow back to her seat. She glared at him, not appreciating his criticism.

"Ash, why don't you go next?"

"Because I don't want to," Ash protested.

"What's this!? Talking back so rudely!? Students like you must be pun-"

"Alright! Alright!" Ash hesitantly made his way forward. He gulped nervously.

"Have you ever felt lonely during your journey? Or maybe you have social issues. Look no further! I show you, Friend-o-Spoon One-Thousand!" Ash showed his friends a wooden spoon with beads that served as eyes and a smile. A wig was attached to the top with no care. It stared into everyone's souls with no emotion. It sent an eerie atmosphere throughout the classroom.

"Okay, that's just really creepy! We don't want to see more! Back to your seat," Sun announced.

"Rats!" Ash walked back to his seat with his head drooping down.

"Kiawe, your go." Kiawe bolted to the front of the classroom, eager to show these peasants how a real person shows their craftiness.

"Yargh!!! With my blade of wood, tremble before me! No one stands a chance against my sword!" Everyone gasped at the weapon.

"The board of education will after hearing that you brought a potential hazard to school! Unacceptable! Drop it on the ground and go back to your seat!" Sun barked. Kiawe did as he was told, bummed out.

"You're the one with the necessary tools anyway," Kiawe grumbled.

"Yeesh! I'll wait for the professor to dispose of that. You kids make weapons out of anything you can find! Society these days. Anyway, Sophocles is next!"

"I'm pumped for this!" Sophocles was jumping in place at the front. "I made something that'll help adapt to just about anywhere and is useful for the everyday trainer. I present to you guys, The Soda Jetpack!"

A rope was tied around Sophocles waist to the two liters of sodas on his back. He held a piece of string in his right hand.

"When I pull this, the caps will be removed and I'll be flying! There's also a traveling companion. His name is Señor Potato!" Sophocles held a potato in his arms.

"And I thought the spoon was worse," Sun muttered.

"I'll demonstrate. Three, two, one…" Sophocles jumped as high as he can. "GO!!! The caps fell and Sophocles was taken about one foot in the air before the soda liquid ran out and he belly flopped to the floor. The class winced at his misfortune.

"Sorry there pal. That could be a hazard too. Belly flopping hurts more than you think," Sun said.

"I can tell," Sophocles answered, holding his stomach as he headed back to his seat.

"Now all that's left is blondie. Please give us a real successful creation that deals with the lesson."

Lillie tumbled to the front and shook tremendously. She hid her creation behind her back

"Anytime now blondie," Sun urged her to proceed. Lillie took a deep breath and swiftly revealed her creation. Sun stared at it, dumbstruck.

"I-I made a visual rep-representation of a s-sun." Everyone gaped at her, not sure how to respond. It was a visual of a sun made out of the construction paper she used. There were a set of big sunglasses drawn on the middle of the sun along with a big smile.

"Uh well… how d-does it help you a-adapt to your surroundings," Sun stuttered.

Lillie's face turned a deep crimson as she went on. "You can carry this anywhere you go and be reminded that you can do anything if your heart's set on it." By now, Sun found out what it actually was supposed to be and decided to end it quickly.

"S-sorry blondie, but I fail to see how a piece of paper can do that. But you do you I guess." Sun rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

 _'Oh! He thinks I'm weird! I knew this was going to happen!'_ Lillie screamed in her head. She tilted her hat downwards so no one could see her crushed face as she went back to her seat.

"Students, students." Sun pinched the bridge of his nose. "Here I thought you five would had at least one good creation. I was wrong. None of you know what is truly a necessity when trying to interact with new territory. Maybe I shouId've let water girl join. But I suppose we should just leave it to the pokémon for now."

Ash's hand shot to the air. "Who won, Mr. Sun!?" He asked what was on everyone's mind.

Sun took a small box from the bottom of the cart and displayed it to the students. "The prize is in here. The winner… the one with the most decent creation is... the boy with the creepy spoon!"

Ash flushed red, setting the spoon down below his chair. He excitingly sprinted to the box. Pikachu took the liberty to open the box and gasped along with his trainer.

"S-sun… this shouldn't be something you give out for winning a small competition. It's too much!" Ash marveled whatever was in the box.

"What is it, Ash?" Mallow asked. Ash, with his shaky hands, lifted it up to show his classmates. They all had the same reaction.

It was a poké ball that was the color purple. There were two lighter shades of purple bumps near the top center. With all its glory, there was the letter M in the middle.

"A master ball!?!?" They shouted in unison.

"Nooo! That could've been useful for the upcoming league!" Kiawe was out of his seat, trying to keep himself together knowing that he messed up his opportunity to get one.

"Where did you get that!?" Sophocles questioned.

Sun gazed at the master ball in Ash's hand sadly. "I own two. One will be a secret for now, and it's the one you have Ash. The second one is right here." The class almost fainted at the sight of two master balls in the same room.

"Wow! You have to be the strongest trainer I met in Alola!" Ash admired the second master ball.

Sun waved him off. "These were just gifts. The one I have is a gift from my dad. Which is why I don't want to use it. I want to preserve it as long as I can without any pokémon in it. This means a lot to me." Sun hugged the master ball with a downcast look.

"Well that's just stupid!" Mallow fumed. "What's the point of owning a master ball if you're not going to use it? It can literally catch any pokémon you want. Your failure of a dad is going to be furious at you for that stupid reason. Maybe I should have a talk with your stupid dad and see if I can convince him if I could have it. It's not like he's that hard to convince anyway. He has to be more brainless than you! Though, you're about to beat him in that apartment." Mallow's words pierced through Sun's chest.

Lillie and Sophocles' eyes bulged out of their sockets. Anger slowly rising in them towards the green haired girl. The two turned to Sun worriedly.

"I-I…" The boy was shaking more than Lillie was during her presentation. He tried to speak but couldn't form any words from his mouth. His lips trembled, and he hugged the master ball for comfort. Mallow, Kiawe, Lana, and Ash were surprised to see tears start running down Sun's face. Sun ran out of the classroom without another word.

"Mallow…" Lillie started darkly, losing her usual shy tone. "Do you have any idea what you just said!?" The blonde screamed at her face.

"W-what did I do?!" Mallow weakly defended herself. Just then, Professor Kukui came in the classroom with the scariest look on his face. His agitation was visible to the students.

"What did you guys do!? I ran into Sun in the hallways and he was crying! He told me he never wanted to step foot in the school and that he was leaving Alola again!" The professor was visibly upset.

The students took what he informed them to heart. Sun was leaving? Sophocles turned glum. Ash was disappointed. Lana's hands cupped her cheek, shocked. Kiawe sat there emotionless. Lastly, Mallow was still as confused as ever.

"What did I say!?" Mallow almost yelled. Sophocles answered her question anxiously.

"M-mallow. The things you said about his dad… what I'm trying to say is… Sun's dad is dead."

Oh how Mallow wished she could bury her head in the ground after the sudden revelation.

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Quick Author's Note: There's the secret. In my version, Sun's dad is dead leaving him with just his mom. Where the other master ball came from plays a huge part in the story. Next chapter will have a recap of what Kukui discussed with Samson and the aftermath of what went down. Stay tuned!_**


	6. Sunless?

**_Author's Note: Here's my clarifications before you read the chapter. I'm not that strong when it comes to emotional scenes hence why it might seem a little dry during the beginning and some parts of the middle of the story. Lillie's behavior might seem OOC at first, well it will but it'll be explained in a future chapter how much she cares about Sun and lashing out on Mallow for making him cry. At least three character debuts will appear in the story, I hope I portrayed them well. This chapter length beat my last one so I hope you all enjoy it!_**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

"S-sun's dad is... dead?" Mallow couldn't believe it. She'd known the man for most of her childhood and hearing that he was gone… it was too much for Mallow to handle. Many questions ran through her mind. When did he die? How did he die? How did Sophocles and Lillie know and not her? What was really bugging her was how her dad was going to react.

They hit it off ever since the day they met. Her dad would trust Sun's dad in taking responsibility for her when Sun and her went out or had a playdate. The two dads had gotten along very well, with Abe occasionally treating their family with free meals. Sun's dad would end up paying for it towards the end anyway. He was a very humble person.

 _'Was this what Sun was talking about when he disagreed with me saying that Ash's been through way more than him?'_ Mallow thought as she buried her face with her hands.

"What have I done?" Mallow groaned, slamming her head on the desk. "When did this happen?" She asked Sophocles. It was Lillie who answered with a scowl.

"During the middle of his island challenge. He got the call and almost quit the challenge after he attended the funeral but Hau and I talked him out of it." Lillie refused to meet Mallow's eye.

"Sun called me that day and invited my parents and I to head to the funeral in Kanto," Sophocles added in with a solemn frown. He and his parents were well acquainted with Sun's parents. The news came out of nowhere and they attended the funeral to pay their respects.

Despite the situation at hand, Mallow clenched her fists in fury. "How come I was never invited?" She asked in a dark tone. Mallow's family had known them the longest so why had they not received the news?

Lillie sat up, having enough of Mallow's attitude. "He did but you never answered! He kept calling and calling for three days but you didn't pick up any of the calls! When you did three days later you told Sun that you were busy and hung up immediately! He didn't bother after that!" Angry tears spilled down Lillie's face as she yelled at Mallow.

Mallow also got up from her seat. "Why didn't Sun come and visit me in order to tell me then?! I was busy, I have a life in the restaurant you know!" She fired back.

Lillie laughed darkly. "Sure, let the grieving Sun who needed emotional support, travel all the way back to Melemele Island just so he can tell you personally. Use your head for once, Mallow!" The others gasped at her insult.

Kiawe scratched his head. Lillie would never act like this. He couldn't recall the last time Lillie got this mad before because it never happened. This was a new side of Lillie that they were witnessing. He and Ash sensed the conflict and were prepared if things went haywire.

"And this is coming from you, Lillie! The _smartest_ person in the class wants me to understand something that I had no idea of. He'd probably would've come visit me if you weren't hogging him every day!"

Lillie crossed her arms. "You're going to bring this up again? We always invited you to join us but you blew us off everytime."

"I have work in case you forgot!" Mallow hissed.

"That's a lie and you know it!" Lillie accused her. "We called in several times at the restaurant and your father answered saying that you weren't scheduled to work! You abandoned Sun. Do you know how much he talks about you? He thinks so highly of you but is upset that you never hang out with him anymore."

Mallow inched closer. "It's not my fault that he rarely even see's me anyhow. It's always, _'oh Lillie wants me over'_ and _'Lillie needs me.'_ Since the day you met Sun, our friendship fell apart. We've been together since we were toddlers and it crumbled before I could do anything about it. All because of you!" Mallow harshly poked her fingers on Lillie's chest, pushing her back some.

Lillie didn't seem to care. "So me being an _actual_ friend is a problem? I was there whenever he needed me just like how he is to all of his friends. You let it happen, Mallow. All because of your petty jealousy!" Something snapped in the mind of Mallow. All she could remembering was throwing herself to Lillie.

"Calm down, Mallow!" Luckily, Ash managed to restrain her in time before she could do any real harm. Lillie stood there, not looking fazed in any way.

"You two are friends! Friends don't fight!" Kiawe tried to keep things from getting any worse. "I didn't get invited either but you don't see me trying to start fights. This is all just a pointless argument." To his misfortune, it made things worse.

"So Sun's dad dying is just some _'pointless argument'_ to you!?" Lillie picked up Snowy and was ready to storm off.

Kiawe stammered, not realizing that his words came out wrong. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I'm talking about fighting with Mallow over someone as untrustworthy as Sun-"

 **SLAP!**

Kiawe's cheek stung when Lillie slapped him. Bewilderment was present on his face. He didn't think of Lillie as the violent type. Before he could apologize, the blonde ran out of the classroom.

The room was dead silent.

"Cripes…" Professor Kukui pinched the bridge of his nose frustratingly. He tried to stop the fight too but he was ignored. "This entire class is falling apart. I should've been here and had my meeting after school."

By now, Ash had let go of Mallow once he was sure Lillie left the school grounds. The green haired girl promptly exited the classroom without a word.

"There goes another one." Kukui felt awful about the entire situation. As a teacher he should've been able to control his students. But with Sun in the picture, it wasn't possible. The unresolved tension wasn't going away anytime soon even if he tried to end it.

"We should catch up to Sun and try to convince him to change his mind!" Sophocles said to Ash with determination.

"Right!" Ash nodded.

Sophocles turned to the professor. "Could you call Hala for us? Tell him that Hau needs to get here as fast as he can. He'd be a lot of help! Please," Sophocles pleaded.

Professor Kukui sighed and nodded. "I'll get straight to it. Go find Sun. He should be around his house packing."

With that, the professor and the two boys departed, leaving Lana and Kiawe alone.

"First ones in class and last ones too," Kiawe muttered, sitting on his desk with a thoughtful look on his face. "So much has happened since."

"Yeah…" Was all Lana said. The blue haired girl was shaken up by the whole ordeal. It was crazy to see how so much could change in the span of a few minutes. From having a content conversation with Sun and ten minutes later he runs off tearfully.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, right Lana?" Kiawe questioned her.

Lana smiled weakly. "Of course. You throw the occasional threats to Sun but I know you aren't that disrespectful. Sun didn't tell me either. I guess he only told the people he was close to. I wasn't that great of a friend to him like Mallow or Lillie was." Although it pained her to say it, Sun and her didn't develop that kind of a friendship. Even knowing him since she was young, Lana was too shy to ever have a long meaningful conversation with Sun. It didn't mean that they weren't friends, it was just that they didn't build up a close friendship like the others.

"Same here," Kiawe said. He and Sun weren't that close either. They met later than all his other friends so it was natural that they didn't become the best friends in such a short amount of time. Kiawe had to admit, Sun gave him thrill. Thrill to have another strong trainer train with him. One question still lingered in his head.

"I wonder what the deal was with Lillie and Mallow. I've never seen either of them so angry before." Kiawe hoped that Lana had some type of answer.

"Mallow always talked about it with me," Lana replied. "Back when Sun was completing his trials, Mallow came to me as company while he was gone. She was upset for a long time. When I finally got her to tell me what was wrong she said that she didn't like Lillie anymore." Lana

gulped, not sure if she should be sharing this with Kiawe. Mallow trusted her with this secret.

"What? Why?" Kiawe inquired, feeling like he already knew the answer to the question. He just wanted clarification.

Lana shifted in her seat a little. "Well, you know how Sun and Mallow met when they were young. She'd tell me how they did pretty much everything together. It was sweet hearing about all the things they did."

"Where is this story going?" Kiawe inquired, slightly miffed.

Lana blushed. "Right. Well, one day during one of their hangout sessions, Sun brought Lillie along and introduced them. Mallow told me she was fine with it for the first couple of times but after the sixth time, she was fed up with Lillie crashing in on their time together and stealing Sun's attention from her. So she cancelled every arrangement they made and declined every invitation she received from Sun."

Kiawe hummed, unsure on how to phrase his sentence without sounding rude about it.

"So, Mallow was basically… jealous of Lillie?" To Kiawe, it felt wrong talking about others behind their back.

Lana nodded. "In my opinion, it was a little unnecessary to do what she did. They only ever were together whenever she was sure that Lillie was busy with something."

Kiawe scratched his chin. "From what Lillie mentioned, they already talked about this before?"

This was another thing that Mallow trusted her with. It was already bad enough revealing one secret to Kiawe, but two? It didn't suit well for her. Lana decided to describe it with as little detail she could muster while also telling the truth.

"Let's just say, Sun was confused when he saw the two with scratches on their faces." Lana saw Kiawe wince at her short explanation.

"Gotcha," Kiawe noted. It didn't take a genius to know what that meant. "Still, with everything that went down, it's hard to remember of their past friendship. Now and days, it's just chaos when Sun's name slips out of someone's mouth."

Lana shuddered, recalling one of those times that someone said the former forbidden name.

 **Flashback**

It happened two months after Sun ditched Alola. Class went on as usual. Sometimes the students would catch the professor eyeing the empty desk wistfully. Other than that, class was filled with learning about Alola itself.

The professor held off on one particular topic for quite some time. But he pushed away his feelings in order to teach his students an important lesson.

"Okay students!" Professor Kukui sighed hastily, sporting a half smile. "Today we'll be talking about one of Alola's most important features!"

Kiawe raised his hand. "But I thought we already covered the Alolan pokémon variants."

The professor shook his head. "While that is an important feature that only Alola can offer, that isn't what I was referring to."

Lana spoke up next. "Is it our nice weather and spectacular oceans?" Lana questioned with a gleam in her eyes.

"Nope. Though I do say we do have the best ones in my opinion!" Kukui agreed.

Now Sophocles gave it a crack. "It must be our Malasadas! They are so tasty!" He licked his lips, imagining the flavor in his mouth. No one saw Lillie flinch at the mention of Malasadas.

Professor Kukui chuckled, "I'm afraid that's not quite right but I'll agree with you there. Anyone else want to take a shot." Hearing no response, the professor gave them the answer.

"I thought it was a bit obvious. The answer is Alola's Island Challenge!" His face fell when he saw most of his students visibly flinch. Everyone but Sophocles.

"Now, who can tell me what an Island Challenge is?" Kukui was relieved when Sophocles raised his hand. The others weren't as eager to share their knowledge.

"The island challenge consists of having to travel to all four islands of Alola and completing each trial. Then you have to beat the Island Kahuna in order to move forward. Once everything is finished, the trial-goer has to do a final trial so they can become Alola Champion!" Sophocles exclaimed with passion. The same passion that Sun used whenever he talked about it.

Professor Kukui applauded his answer. "Very well informative answer, Sophocles. Although Alola has had many challengers trying to conquer the challenge but none have been successful. The only one close enough to almost take the title of Alola Champion is…"

"Don't you say it," Mallow growled, having heard enough of the topic.

"I don't see why I shouldn't. It's an important part of the Island Challenge history!" The professor laughed nervously.

Mallow huffed, "There's nothing important about the island challenge anymore." The class was filled with nothing but silence. "Can we move on to another topic?" Her mild irritation was what made Kukui deny her wishes.

"No. As an important part of Alola's history, this is a must know lesson!" The professor declared, not giving in one inch.

"Fine!" Mallow got up and promptly left the classroom. Soon, Kiawe did the same.

Lana didn't budge, she might've gotten in trouble for this so she remained seated. Sophocles was intrigued, even after learning just about everything from Sun. It was refreshing to hear it from someone else's point of view. And Lillie… well she rested her head on the desk. This caused her hat to mask most of her features. The blonde sighed sadly.

Professor Kukui grumbled, "Sometimes… sometimes you students don't get the picture." He turned to his class. "Lessons canceled. I'll go back to it again once _everyone_ is present in the classroom. In the meantime, we can have an open topic lesson. Any ideas?" He offered his remaining students to take over the class.

Lillie's position didn't change. Lana shrugged shyly. She didn't have a particular idea In mind. Though… there was one but she'd have to save it for later. It was best if it was a private conversation with just the professor.

Sophocles sprung from his seat. "I got something!" He said ecstatically. "It's my newest invention! The Pokémon Ping Finder 2.0! Sun and I worked on it before the whole incident. I put it on hold for a while but I finally finished it." Sophocles began explaining how it worked and what it did.

Lillie peered under her desk with her head down. There, she held a picture in her hand. A small trickle of a tear dropped from Lillie's face to the picture. The picture was of Lillie and Sun the day before the Team Skull business.

"Sun…"

 **End of Flashback**

"I regretted doing that." Kiawe rubbed the back of his head with a nervous grin. "I apologized to Professor Kukui after school."

Like magic, Professor Kukui came back into the classroom.

"You two are still here? I thought you'd leave since pretty much everyone else did so." Professor Kukui adjusted his glasses.

Lana smiled cheekily at him. "We wanted to hear how the talk with Principal Samson went. Right, Kiawe?"

"Huh?" Kiawe blinked. "Oh right! That's the reason. Totally not because we haven't thought about leaving. Hehe." Kiawe sweatdropped, avoiding the professor's gaze.

"Ah right! The only good news today. I talked with Principal Samson and voiced my ideas. He was on board with it!" Kukui said excitingly. "We decided that I'll be the founder of the Alola League since I came up with the idea."

"That's great!" Lana exclaimed happily.

"Now your dreams are going to come true!" Kiawe added in.

"Yes… but we still have to work out the details. One of the things Samson brought up is where the league should be located. Then there was who can help us with all the necessary building. It'll take a while that's for sure. And the last thing was what was left unanswered earlier."

"How the participation should go?" Kiawe asked. Kukui nodded his head. "Don't be so down professor! That's why we're here to help!"

"Yeah! It's also the main reason why Sun's here too!" Lana chimed in.

Professor Kukui's smile faded. "While I'm not one hundred percent sure about this, it is possible that the Alola League isn't the only reason why he is here."

Lana and Kiawe exchanged confused glances. "Why is he here then? Sun's said it himself that Alola brings some bitter memories to him."

The professor thought about telling it to his two students but held off against it last minute. It caught his interest when Sun asked him about Ula'ula Island when they first met in Kanto. It seemed like he had some dire business with someone there.

"That's a question you'll have to ask Sun. It wouldn't be nice sharing his personal secrets." Professor Kukui's words made Lana feel more guilty because of doing just that with Mallow.

"I don't think there'll be a time to ask him if he leaves Alola for good," Kiawe acknowledged Sun's potential departure.

"That's correct." Professor Kukui decided to end the chat with his students. "Which is precisely why you two have to assist us in talking Sun out of it."

"What can we do?" Kiawe asked. "I'm sure with Hau there, there'll be no way that Sun's going to leave." If there was someone who can change Sun's mind about anything, it had to be Hau.

"That wasn't the case during Sun's last departure," Professor Kukui responded, shooting down Kiawe's claim. "I believe the only way to solve this is by going to the root of the problem."

Lana raised a finger. "Mallow! It all started when she… you know." Lana was extremely uncomfortable talking about the contents of the argument. "But we also need Lillie so we can settle the fight that took place between them."

"I'll go find Lillie, you focus on Mallow!" Kiawe announced, already taking his leave.

"You go on Lana, I'll be finding some assistance too." Professor Kukui bid Lana goodbye and sighed.

"I think I have just the person who'll change Sun's mind."

 ** _At Sun's House..._**

"I hate this stupid region and their stupid school. I shouldn't have come here in the first place. Stupid stupid stupid!" Sun angrily packed all of his belongings. "Why did mom convince me to come here anyway?! I was perfectly happy in Kanto!" Sun slammed the door in his room and proceeded to head down the stairs.

"Curse Mallow for bringing that up. Ugh! I thought she knew what happened but either she doesn't know or doesn't care. No one talks about my dad like that!" Sun opened the front door of his house and was surprised to see someone there.

"Yo kid, I thought you'd be here." It was the same grunt from his previous encounters. He didn't appear pleased at all. "You've been avoiding the team, haven't you? You were nowhere when bossman rallied up a meeting."

Sun's palms started to sweat. "I-I was busy. And I still am." Sun attempted to get past the grunt but he blocked his path. "What do you want?! I already said I'm busy!" Sun pushed the grunt and tried to run off until the man grabbed his arm.

The grunt glared at the boy. "I just so happened to have a chat with the bossman. Funny, you know what he told me?" It sounded more of a demand than a question.

"To let me go." Sun wiggled his arm to free himself but to no avail. The grunt tightened the grip on his arm.

"Bossman told me that he never hired a kid in the team. But some of my buddies gave me the interesting history of Team Skull. The team just so happened to be temporarily disbanded by a kid." The grunt tugged Sun's arm roughly, almost pulling it out of its socket. "And I recall when we first met. You were wearing old Team Skull clothing. The pieces add up."

Sun gulped. "Must be the wrong kid." That earned him a whack in the stomach.

"It's you kid. Don't even try to deny it! When I take you back to base I can be promoted for capturing the kid who took down the mighty Jenercocio! Bossman admired him, which is why this is a perfect opportunity for me to-ah!" The grunt recieved a nasty headbut from Sun, releasing his grip on the boy.

"Get a life! No way I'm joining Team Skull again!" Sun regretted putting his poké balls in his bag, pulling them out would take too long. Seeing no other option with the grunt still blocking his way, Sun made a break for it inside his house, the grunt in tow.

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

Ash and Sophocles sprinted the whole way to Sun's house with a few detours so Sophocles could rest. Eventually they made it.

"Finally..." Sophocles wheezed, catching his breath. It was then that he noticed that Sun's front door was wide open. This made him worry.

"Weird. Why would Sun leave his door open?" Ash said out loud. He was the first in and immediately felt his stomach sink.

It looked like a tornado came in to Sun's house. The picture on the wall were now on the floor. In fact, most of the decorations Ash saw a few days ago were on the floor. One of the chairs were broken. Sun's suitcase was on the floor wide open. There, it revealed his six poké balls inside.

"This is bad!" Sophocles said worriedly. "Sun! Sun!" Sophocles called his name but got no answer.

"Hey, check it out." Near the living there was a broken window. All the glass was gone and on the ground outside. "I think something bad happened before Sun left so he escaped through that window! He accidentally forgot his pokémon during the escape!" Pikachu carefully examined the scene while the two trainers talked. He spotted something from outside the window.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu ran out the door and made his way to the part of the house where the shattered window was.

"Pikachu, what did you find!?" Pikachu pointed to the tattered hat that Sun was wearing along with one of his sandals that was torn into two parts.

"Interesting. Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, startling the three in the process.

"Rotom!? When did you get here?" Ash inquired. He saw Rotom's face saddened.

"What do you mean? I've been here the entire time! Bzzt!" Rotom cried out, betrayed that Ash didn't notice it at all.

"That's great! That means you can go warn Professor Kukui while we go find Sun!" Ash instructed.

"B-but-"

"Thanks! You're the best!" Ash waved him goodbye and rushed to the general direction that Pikachu pointed to. Sophocles followed, exhaustion starting to take its toll.

"Okay… bzzt." Rotom shook off its unhappiness and rushed to the school.

 ** _In Aina's Restaurant..._**

"Mallow!" Lana went straight to the restaurant and sure enough, Mallow was there. She was busying herself by washing the dishes. Anxiously, Lana walked up to her.

"Hey Mallow," She greeted simply.

"Hey…" Mallow held back a scoff and continued back to work.

"Are you feeling better?" Lana asked.

"I'm fine." Mallow's voice came a bit more sterner than before.

"I-I… umm…" Lana was too nervous to say anything else without provoking the green haired girl.

 _'I hope Kiawe's doing better.'_

 ** _At the outskirts of the school..._**

"Hey Lillie!" Kiawe found her not far from the school. She was sitting on a bench with SnowySnowypp1. She was holding something in her hands but quickly hid it when she heard Kiawe.

"H-hey Kiawe." Kiawe noticed that her eyes were puffy red and her voice cracked. Luckily for Kiawe, he's experienced this before whenever he comforted his little sister. This is going to be a piece of cake.

"According to my calculations, you seem sad," Kiawe pointed out scientifically.

"Gee, how did you figure that out?" Lillie muttered. She wiped the stray tears from her face.

"As I figured! Upon further examination I can see that your clothes are kind of wet. Must be from all that crying." Kiawe observed her appearance.

Lillie clenched her fists irritated. "You have a good set of eyes, Kiawe."

Kiawe snapped his fingers in realization. "It has to be from the fight you had with Mallow. It's best if you apologized to her and put this behind you. Be friends again-"

 **SLAP!**

"IT'S NOT THAT EASY, KIAWE! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Lillie shrieked at the fallen Kiawe and sped off elsewhere with Snowy.

Kiawe groaned, "Slapped twice by the same person in one day. My sister never did any of that to me." Kiawe began to rethink his plan due to Lillie not being his sister so the two would've reacted differently.

"Hmm?" Something caught Kiawe's eyes. It was on the spot where Lillie sat. Kiawe picked up the picture that Lillie dropped.

"Ohhh." Kiawe smacked his forehead. The answer was so obvious now. He examined the picture that consisted of Sun, who draped an arm over Lillie. The warm illuminating rays of the sunset shined off the two, who had bright smiles on their faces.

"You missed Sun, didn't you Lillie?" Kiawe's eyes shifted to an unrecognizable figure behind Sun's back. He wasn't sure if it was a pokémon or not. He didn't have time to dwell on it right now.

"Wait, Lillie!" Kiawe bolted to where Lillie rushed off to with the picture in his hands.

 ** _In the middle of nowhere..._**

Sun dodged each tree in his way as he used his ability to the fullest. He managed to momentarily stop the grunt in his tracks when he jumped through the window. Thankfully, he was unharmed.

"Come back here you brat!" The grunt yelled. The man was persistent. He really wanted that promotion. If it meant abducting a kid then so be it! The grunt had been chasing Sun for about half an hour now.

"I'm getting a little tired. Golbat, assist me!" He tossed the poké ball to the air and a Golbat came out. "Get that meddling boy!"

The bat pokémon flew circles around Sun. The boy covered his face with his hands in case Golbat went in for his face. Seeing this, Golbat scooped in for Sun's legs. This caused him to trip.

"Gotcha!" The grunt grabbed hold of Sun and slung him over his shoulder.

Sun felt his whole body shudder. Being held in this position… it rubbed him off the wrong way ever since Team Skull kidnapped him. Jenercocio carried him like this the whole way to their base.

"L-let go of m-me!" Sun started to scream uncontrollably. The past had a funny way to haunt one's mind. It was the same deal with Sun. The boy clawed the grunt's back in an effort to escape.

"Hey! Stop that!" The grunt slapped the back of his head. It did nothing to stop Sun's constant screaming. "Shut up!" He dumped Sun to the ground. "Air Cutter this kid!"

Sun helplessly watched as Golbat soared to the air and prepared to attack him. He shut his eyes, accepting his defeat.

"Multi-Attack!"

In the nick of time, Sun saw a blur jump to the air and slam itself into Golbat.

"Now do the same to that idiot!" The same blur rammed into the grunt as well. Sun shook his head to clear up his hazy vision. When he opened his eyes, he saw a patch of a yellow color above him.

"Get up. I can't believe you almost got captured by Team Skull again, stupid," The voice said. It was none other than…

"Gladion!" Sun got back up his feet in surprise.

Gladion grunted, a tick mark appeared beside his head. "You're lucky I found you. Silvally sensed something around the area and we just so happened to stumble upon you." The blonde boy patted Silvally's head before glaring at Sun. "Where are your pokémon!? Only a moron would go out without any pokémon with them."

Sun flushed red from Gladion's scolding. "It's not my fault. I accidentally dropped them when I was trying to get away from this guy!" Sun pointed to the unconscious grunt.

"And dare I say, why were you screaming like a mad man. I swear my ears almost bled," Gladion scoffed, an amused smirk forming soon after.

Sun shook a little. "Uh… well… because." He shrugged, kicking the grunt's stomach. Revenge was sweet.

"B-because!? Gladion sputtered in disbelief. "That's not a viable answer!" He let it slide this one time. "Tch. Whatever. The reason why I even bothered looking for you is because of mother. She called me and said to tell you that she approves of your request. You didn't answer her calls so she sent me to deliver this." Gladion passed him a small box.

"Really? Sweet!" Sun exclaimed happily, losing his anxiety. He grabbed the box and turned his back against the blonde boy and rubbed his hands devilishly. "Hehe. Little does she know that I'm going to use it against h-"

"What was that!?" Gladion cut in, none too pleased with Sun whispering something about his mom.

"Nothing!" Sun faced him with an innocent smile. "What have you been up to, Gladion? Thought you'd be Alola Champion since Hau quit the challenge."

Gladion stiffened. His composure slightly wavering. "If you must know, I've beaten my third trial. It's not even that hard. Though, Nanu gave me a challenge. Nothing I can't handle." Gladion presented a smug smirk on his face. Though, Sun's widened eyes wiped the smirk off his face.

"B-but you said you'd take on the Island Challenge almost a year ago! Knowing you, you wouldn't have taken that long!" Sun slowly started to piece it in together.

Gladion attempted to put an end to this. "That's because I took my time. I'm busy," He defended.

Sun's smile stretched to the ends of his cheeks. He placed his hands on his hips and gives Gladion an all knowing look.

"Why, Gladion! Lying won't do you any good! You're only busy when it comes to training. It should've taken you a month at least to beat all four Kahunas. You're that strong of a trainer. But you didn't. Which leads me to wonder if you were the same like Hau!"

"Don't you dare say it." Gladion put a hand over his face, irritated enough with Sun.

"You held off taking the Island Challenge because of me!" Sun quickly said. He fanned himself with his hand. "Aw. Gladion, I'm flattered. I thought a brooding boy such as yourself would only care about your family. Gladion was heartbroken that I left~" Sun went on with a sing song voice.

"Idiot!" Sun was met with a smack to the head by the blonde boy. "I would never get heartbroken over a dweeb like you! As I said, I was busy."

Sun gave no remorse. "Busy caring about me~" He received the same fate as before.

"Shut up! Man, I knew I should've declined my mother's wishes."

Sun kicked his bare feet to the ground. "In all fairness. I just so happen to be helping the professor with a Pokémon League in Alola!" Sun bragged. Gladion raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"A Pokémon League in Alola? What's that going to be about?" Gladion questioned.

Sun showed him a toothy grin. "I'll tell you if you admit that you missed me!"

Gladion reached his limit. "For the last time, I didn't miss you! I didn't even know you were gone until Lillie came crying about it!" He roared. Sun flinched. Not because of his tone but because of what he revealed about his younger sister.

 _'She cried!? Tch… whatever….'_ Sun pushed the silly thoughts aside.

"Speaking of blondie, why did Lusamine send you instead of her? Blondie isn't that far away from where I am." Sun yelped when Gladion grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"You listen here, Sun. You shall refer to my sister as Lillie, not blondie. If I hear you say that then you won't be getting off so easily. This is my only warning, got it!?"

"Got it." Sun released a relieved sigh when Gladion released his grip on him.

"If you must know. Mother doesn't want to give Lillie enough trouble as it is considering that it's _you_." Both Gladion and Sun had different interceptions in that subject. "So she sent me to take her place. It was worth it seeing you in the arms of Team Skull again. I thought you'd learn after the first time," The blonde boy chuckled.

Sun's jaw fell to the floor. "W-wait. You mean to tell me that you know all about what happened that day!?"

"Obviously." Gladion scoffed. "That whole Team Skull charade you had going on there was so easy to see through. Plus, I overheard that new Team Skull boss rant on about so boy who destroyed the entire team by pretending to be one of them. Lucky for me they didn't see my pokémon and I training nearby."

"Who's the new boss that I keep hearing about?" Sun asked.

"Some dude with a gold buckle, weird sunglasses, and white hair. Kind of like a grandpa if you ask me." Gladion's cocky smirk came back. "Team Skull are weaker than they were before. At least that's what I picked up on. I haven't seen the boss since. Heh, it makes me wonder how people even bought your Team Skull ruse. Bunch of empty headed idiots." Gladion cringed at the big smile on Sun's face. It was discomforting to witness.

"Bunch of _empty headed idiots_ , you say? Ha! You just called your sister that!" Sun rolled on the ground, laughing.

Gladion blinked, not believing Sun one bit. "You're lying. There's no way that Lillie didn't take your side. She practically was glued to your side everytime I see the two of you together!" The blonde boy responded.

Sun wiped the tear from his eye after his burst of laughter. He chuckled darkly. "Things have changed, Gladion. Heck, you'd probably get an earful from someone if they see us together. I can imagine it right now, _'Gladion, stay away from that jerk!' 'Sun is a backstabbing traitor. He'd do the same to you!' 'That boy is hanging out with Team Skull again. He means trouble!'_ Never gets old!" Sun's fake cheery attitude nerved Gladion.

"That may be but I'm still not convinced of this whole Lillie thing. She cried for days after you left. Are you sure we're talking about the same Lillie or are you pulling my leg?"

 _'We must be. Seeing things now, there's not a chance that Lillie would cry. She betrayed me like everyone else.'_

"I don't know anymore dude," Sun responded aimlessly. "Thanks for the save and all but I got places to be."

Sun turned around and walked until Gladion gripped his shoulder.

"Where are you heading off to?"

Sun gazed down at the ground. "Back to Kanto." He regretted telling Gladion the truth.

"Not happening." Gladion pushed him to a tree. "I'm not dealing with Lillie's tearful crying if you try and leave Alola again. You're staying here and that's final. We still have that champion battle you owe me!"

"I've already made up my mind. I had my stuff ready and everything until that grunt came." Sun kicked the man's stomach again.

"What is it this time? Surely you didn't resolve all of your friendships and ruin it so fast." Gladion snarled when he saw Sun roll his eyes.

"Of course not! Those pigs don't deserve my forgiveness." Sun realized his mistake. "N-not that I'm calling your sister a pig or anything."

Gladion neared his fist to Sun's face. "Either you tell the truth or I can teach you a lesson to not bad mouth my sister again!"

"Okay okay! I give!" Sun raised his arms in defeat. Gladion let go and motioned Sun to explain.

"You know how I left Alola on bad terms with just about everybody, right?" The blonde boy nodded. "Well let's just say everything stayed the same. Sure Sophocles and I are still great pals but the rest… not so much."

"Have you met Ash? If so, what are your thoughts on him?" Gladion asked, earning a strange look from Sun. "I've got to become stronger than him! No way I'll allow the both of you to be better than me!" He declared with newfound passion.

 _'Guess I shouldn't tell him that I'm training Ash. He'll flip out for sure!'_ Sun thought.

"He's a friendly guy. I don't hate him so that's good. But his pokémon are quite lacking if I have to be honest."

Gladion laughed. "You should say that to Ash. I want to see his reaction."

 _'I'd like to see yours when you discover that Ash is a stronger trainer than you once I'm finished training him.'_ Sun mused in his head.

"Back to the topic in hand. To put it bluntly, life sucks. Everywhere I go I always get some insult about my past. It takes a toll on after a while. I suppose Lana was starting to warm up on me. It was kind of nice. But Mallow… she's a green haired she-devil with her minion, Kiawe by her side."

"She-devil?" Gladion smirked at the phrase.

"Yeah, because that's basically her attitude towards me. I could tolerate it but after today, I gave in. She crossed the line and I couldn't handle it anymore. I figured if I'm not appreciated in Alola then what's the point of even returning? The professor can finish up without me. We shared some neat ideas."

"So what triggered it then?"

Sun took a deep breath. "You remember when I invited you and your family to Kanto, right?"

Gladion pushed his hand forward. "Yep. You don't have to give me the details."

He remembered the day clearly. Him and his family were struck by the news pretty hard. Lillie knew his father well and broke down into tears. He consoled his sister while also in the same state of mood as her. He kept it well hidden. As for his mother Lusamine, she took it harder than the two of them.

As it turned out, Sun's father was brought back to the Kanto region when Lusamine put in a good word for him. The reason to this was so he could find a new job. His old one shutting down because of financial issues. Sun and his mom stayed in Alola due to Sun wanting to finish the Island Challenge. To this day, Gladion didn't know the full details as to what happened that fateful day of his passing. All he knew was that it was caused by a work related issue, which led to Lusamine blaming herself for his passing. Which is also why his mother coddles Sun like one of her own, spoiling Sun with everything that he wants. Lusamine wanted to make it up to Sun but Gladion quickly learned that you can't make up a dead parent no matter how hard you tried.

"What's all of this got to do with him then?" Gladion asked in the most respectful manner.

Sun clenched his fists angrily. "M-mallow. It was Mallow. S-she blatantly made fun of my… of my dad."

Gladion turned furious at that. "She did!? The next time I see her I'll give her a piece of my mind!" Hearing what Mallow did to dishonor Sun's dad offended Gladion. He was acquainted with the man but mostly heard about him from Lillie. She'd recount how Sun's dad bought them this or how he took them somewhere fun. Then he'd hear his mother throw his name around every once in a while. It was as if Sun's dad was a part of the family too.

"Don't." Sun put a hand on his shoulder with a sad smile. "If you want to do something then come with me before I leave. Embarrassing enough as it is, it'll mean a lot to me since we didn't have a proper farewell last time." Gladion swiped Sun's hand off his shoulder and smirked.

"Sure," The blonde boy responded. With that, the two and Silvally departed from the scene and headed to the direction of Sun's house.

"Ugh. Stupid kid. I'll make you pay for this!" The grunt slammed his fist to the ground with malicious fury.

 ** _Back in Aina's Kitchen..._**

"Do you want to talk it out?"

"No."

"Maybe if you tell me how you feel?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell your dad about it-"

"What part of no don't you get!?" Mallow hissed. Her head drooped when her fears came true. Abe stared at the two curiously.

"Tell me what?" Abe inquired, pausing his work for a moment.

"Way to go Lana," Mallow seethed through her gritted teeth. "N-nothing! We're having girl talk. That's all." Abe smiled and went back to cleaning.

With newfound courage, Lana spoke up. "No, it isn't girl talk. This is something you should know."

"What are you doing!?" Mallow sneered.

Lana put her foot down as Abe made his way over to the girls. "Either you tell him or I will. And you wouldn't want me to let him know what his daughter said to a deceased man." Lana shocked Mallow and herself by saying that.

"Lana…" Mallow glared at her friend bitterly. Lana showed no signs of fear or hesitation like she normally would.

"What is it Mallow? Something come up while you were at school? Speaking of which." Abe peered at the clock. "You arrived earlier than usual. Did class end early?"

"I-It did."

Abe scratched his chin thoughtful. "Strange. Anyway, what's the big news about?"

Silence filled the restaurant. Mallow hugged her arm awkwardly, refusing to utter a word. After a minute had passed, Lana interjected.

"Since Mallow doesn't want to spill it out then I will! Sir, Sun's-"

"Wait. Sun's here? Why, that's fantastic news!" Abe laughed merrily, missing the point. "Bring him over to the restaurant sometime Mallow, I got something real delicious that I can get planned just for him! Maybe I should arrange one of those playdates…" Abe's mind wandered off.

"Dad! We're not little kids anymore!" Mallow huffed, her cheeks heating up. "We don't even want to see each other as it is," She whispered to herself quietly.

"That's right. I forget how my daughter grew up so fast. It seemed like yesterday when you made your first dish!" Abe wailed dramatically.

"Dad…"

"I'm sure Elio* wouldn't mind watching over you two again. Little children or not," Abe said with a chuckle. He noticed how Mallow's body tensed. "What? Is something the matter?" He asked innocently.

"I-It's a-ab-about…" Mallow felt Lana nudge her from behind and gave her a reassuring smile. Mallow nodded and took a deep breath.

Lana watched carefully as Mallow began informing her dad of the unfortunate news. The once joyful expression on Abe's face turned into one of horror and later to a depressed state. He sat on the stool silently before covering his face with his hands.

"Oh dad! I'm so sorry!" Mallow hugged her father emotionally and sobbed into his shoulder. The grief now unleashing itself from Mallow's system. Viewing this as a heartfelt moment, Lana walked to the front door door and locked it, to prevent anyone from interrupting their moment.

 ** _Back with Kiawe and Lillie..._**

Kiawe finally caught up to the sobbing Lillie. He panted from the running.

"W-wait, Lillie! You left something!" Kiawe waved the picture in the air. Lillie stopped, patting down her clothes to double check something. Her body drooped and she aimlessly turned around and went to Kiawe.

"Th-thanks…" Lillie said, taking the picture back from Kiawe. She hid it under her hat. Snowy squeaked in confused.

"You want to talk about it now?" Kiawe asked carefully, not wanting to provoke her again.

Lillie swiftly turned her head the other way. "No. You'll just get angry with me. You hate Sun so what's the point?"

Kiawe awkwardly glanced to the side. "If it makes you happy then I won't judge you by your decision. We're friends. It wouldn't be right for me to do that." Kiawe offered her a genuine smile.

Lillie sighed, not saying anything but nodding to his response.

"That's one thing out of the way. What are you going to do about Mallow?"

Lillie was unfazed by the question. "I'll give it some time before I want to speak with her again," She replied coolly.

"That's all I ask." Kiawe contemplated on what to say next. "Well… if you want to see Sun again you better hurry up. Hau'oli City is where he should be right about now. It's almost time for ships to arrive and depart from Alola."

Lillie's eyes widened. "You're right! But we won't get there on time…" Lillie began tearing up once more.

Kiawe grabbed one of his poké balls. "We can make it on time! Charizard, come on out!" He released his Charizard, who roared proudly. "Take us to Hau'oli city! Quick!"

Kiawe boarded Charizard and patted the spot behind him. Lillie nodded and sat behind Kiawe. She placed Snowy in her lap and wrapped her arms around Kiawe so she wouldn't fall.

"Onwards!" The four were up in the air and zoomed to Hau'oli City.

 ** _In Aina's Kitchen..._**

Lana eyed the restaurant intently to keep herself busy. The father daughter duo were still having a moment. That's when Lana gasped, staring at the clock.

"We've been here long enough! The ships to Hau'oli City are leaving and that means Sun's there too!"

Abe released his hug. "Sun's leaving? We've got to go stop him!" Abe pulled something out of his pocket and revealed it as a key chain. "Let's get going then!"

Abe rushed out the door with Lana in tow. Mallow reluctantly followed them.

 ** _At Sun's House..._**

Meanwhile, Sun and Gladion made it to Sun's house. Sun immediately went in and hugged his poké balls together.

"I'm never leaving you guys out of my sight again!" Sun wailed. Gladion rolled his eyes and smacked the back of Sun's head.

"Idiot! You shouldn't have even done that in the first place. Why the heck do you even have your poké balls in a suitcase!?" Gladion questioned incredulously.

Sun poked his index fingers shyly. "So they would feel secure inside."

Gladion groaned, "That's why they're in poké balls, Sun. Poké balls!" He yelled with his arms up.

"But it must be dark and spooky in there."

"They'd feel the exact same way in the suitcase!" Gladion kicked the suitcase over. Sun hastily picked it up when he was sure Gladion was done using it as a punching bag.

"Whatever. Let's just get out of here." Sun didn't wait for Gladion to reply, exiting his house without a care.

"Not even waiting for me to say something? Tch, Stupid." The blonde boy shook his head and closed the door to Sun's house. Once outside he saw Sun in one of Officer Jenny's vehicles. The officer waved at Gladion and gestured him to get on.

"Come on, Gladion! Time is ticking before the ships leave!"

 ** _In the middle of nowhere..._**

Ash and Sophocles were currently investigating the area around them. Further hints of Sun's confirmed presence was the sandal footprints on the ground.

"Any sign of him?" Sophocles already knew the answer but asked anyway.

"Nope. Let's move up further," Ash suggested. The two moved forward and stumbled across someone.

"Hey, it's that guy from yesterday!" Sophocles said.

Ash cautiously tiptoed to the body on the floor. Mostly to check if it was dead. Ash grabbed a nearby sticked and poked the sides of the man's body. The grunt groaned softly.

"Ugh. Stupid kids. How'd they become more smarter and stronger than me?" The grunt's head slumped back to the ground.

"Kids, huh?" Sophocles came up with a conclusion on what transpired. "He must've been beaten by Sun. I wonder how since his pokémon are back in his house." His train of thought was broken when Ash placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Don't you see what this means? It means that Sun might already be sailing home right this minute! Who knows how much time passed since he beat this guy!" Sophocles quickly agreed and started to panic. There was no way the two could make it to Hau'oli City due to them drifting farther apart to find Sun.

 _'If only Nebby was here…'_ Ash thought. Nebby would've teleported them or rather gave them a ride on its back.

"Guys!"

"Ash! Bzzt!" Behind them, Hau and Rotom came barreling in quickly. Hau was riding his Tauros.

Hau stopped his Tauros and faced the two with a serious expression. "Is it true? Is Sun really leaving Alola again?"

Sophocles nodded right away. "Yes! And if we don't hurry up he'll be gone before we know it!"

Hau pursed his lips and smiled. "Hop on! My Tauros is strong enough to hold two extra passengers. Aren't you, Tauros?" Tauros' answer came in the form of a heavy huff. The two boys eagerly hopped abroad on Tauros with their pokémon, Pikachu and Togedemaru. Rotom nestled on Ash's hat.

"To Hau'oli City! ASAP!" Hau commanded. Tauros took off without another word.

 ** _At the front of the school..._**

Professor Kukui nervously paced back and forth in the front of the school. He knew how busy this person was but secretly hoped that they'd come in support of Sun.

"Yes!" Professor Kukui pumped his fist to the air when he caught the sight of a limousine in the distance. The vehicle drove and stopped next to the professor. The window rolled down, revealing the person in it.

"I got a call from someone. Sun's in Hau'oli City ready to leave. Get in. We're going to be in for a bumpy ride if we want to catch him before he gets in one of the ships," The voice informed him in an urgent tone.

"I wish I had your sources. Such great timing!" Professor Kukui briskly got in the limo and it rapidly drove to the direction of Hau'oli City.

 ** _At Hau'oli City..._**

"Hey Gladion." Sun spoke. The duo finally arrived at the Marina. The gentle cool breeze soothed him. "Do you know any places outside of Kanto that I can visit? Kanto is getting a bit boring now that the league is over. I want a new challenge!"

Gladion stared at one of the ships with a distant look in his eyes. "Mother mentioned this region called Kalos that fended off against an organization who named themselves Team Flare. The people against them won in the end."

Sun lost his composure. "On second thought, Kanto doesn't sound so bad anymore." He started to make his way over to one of the ships.

"Hey idiot!" Gladion called out, clutching Sun's shoulder. "You didn't think I was going to let you leave so willingly. Like I said before, you aren't going to crush Lillie's little heart again."

Sun felt a slight fuzzy feeling in his chest but subdued it and pushed Gladion away. "I told you this is final," Sun stated roughly.

Gladion pushed him back. "I thought you might say that. Which is why I brought some help." On cue, a roar in the sky filled their ears.

Kiawe's Charizard glided swiftly in the sky and landed on the ground with ease. Sun's eyes turned dull when he saw Lillie with him.

"Really? Your master plan is convincing me with your sister?" Sun inquired, unamused.

"That wasn't it," Gladion clarified. Then, the sound of a motor was heard.

Abe relentlessly drove up to the Marina with as much speed possible. He barged out the door and marched over to the boy.

"Sun!" Abe shouted. Sun was pleasantly surprised to see him there. Abe was the last person he expected to be Gladion's help.

"Sun!" Lana scurried to Abe's side. Sun was indifferent of Lana's presence. Though, he was mildly glad she was here too. As if that wasn't enough, Sun could make out the sound of feet galloping fast.

"Sun!" Ash, Hau, and Sophocles exclaimed. Sun cracked a smile see them riding Hau's Tauros together.

"These guys are part of your plan, I presume?"

"N-no, they aren't," Gladion admitted. To add in even more to the scene, the blonde boy spotted an all too familiar vehicle. "Mother!?" Gladion's mouth opened slightly seeing his mother driving so recklessly. The limousine halted and spun around multiple times for dramatic effect. The figure stepped out of the vehicle and thanked the driver.

"Miss Lusamine!?" Lusamine, in all her glory, sauntered over to the crowd of people. "And Professor Kukui!?" The professor walked beside the blonde woman.

"Now that was my plan." Gladion smirked triumphantly. He called his mother and told her that Sun and him were going to the Marina in Hau'oli City where Sun was planning to leave. His mother could talk Sun into just about everything. Last but certainly not least, a green haired girl slowly popped from Abe's vehicle.

Mallow could feel the burning glares coming her way but chose to ignore. It was easier said than done but she managed to do it so she could join her father.

Lusamine detected the hostility for the green haired girl. Most of which came from the people she considered family. Lillie, Gladion, and Sun glared at Mallow with intense hatred. The blonde woman decided to steer the attention away from her.

"Sun. What's this I hear about you trying to leave Alola?" Lusamine asked, stepping closer to Sun and Gladion. The blonde boy let her do her work and joined her sister and Kiawe.

"Gladion? What are you doing here?" Lillie asked after giving her brother a quick hug.

"I ran into Sun to deliver him something from mother." Gladion went on, seeing Lillie's confused look, "She said it was top secret. Even I don't know what's inside."

Sun bowed his head slightly. "I don't know."

"Surely you yourself must know. You were planning on going with saying goodbye?"

Sun panicked. "I-I was planning to give you a call."

"Really? Was it going to be after you already left?" Sun's guilty expression gave Lusamine her answer. "Now I'll ask you again. Why are you leaving Kanto?"

Sun pouted and turned his back against everyone. "Because the people here are big jerks!" He blurted loudly so his enemies could hear him.

"Jerks?" Lusamine placed a hand over her chest. "You must not be talking about my daughter and son then."

"Gladion's okay. Blon-er I mean Lillie can go kick rocks." Sun remembered Gladion was close by and rephrased his wording.

"My Lillie can go… kick rocks?" Lusamine didn't get the meaning of it. "Do I have to take back my generous gift from you for that insult to one of my own."

Sun covered his pockets up and narrowed his eyes at her. "You can't. It's mine and mine only!" The spoiled side of Sun came out. "Hmph! You can't take back gifts anyway."

Lusamine placed her hands on her hips, giving her a look of superiority. "I sure can take back that gift if I want." Sun backed away from her. "Relax. I won't take it away if you tell me what's really wrong."

Sun sighed, "I already told you. These people are jerks! I want to go somewhere I'm appreciated at."

Lusamine quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? So you feel underappreciated? That is quite an issue. Tell me, who's the one causing you the most problems?"

Sun's glare returned as he faced Mallow's direction. "It's her! She made fun of dad!" Lusamine gasped lightly. Hau found another reason to dislike Mallow. Abe's hurt expression said it all.

"Is this true, Mallow?" Abe asked.

Mallow unleashed her tears, hugging her father tightly. "I-I didn't m-mean to! I didn't kn-know his fa-father died." Her sobs replaced her words. Abe patted her head caringly and shot Sun an apologetic smile.

"I see. That is something that can hurt you emotionally. However, leaving Alola won't solve anything."

"It won't?"

The blonde woman chuckled, "No it won't. You'll be hurting more people if you do this Sun. They all care about you." Sun turned to the group of people sadly.

"Yeah! You didn't even get to see any of my new inventions that I wanted you to check out!" Sophocles said with a grin.

"We'd have a more rougher time coming up with ideas to make a pokémon league an Alola happen without you. Your experience will greatly help make my dream come true. We need you Sun," Professor Kukui added in. The two responses caused a weak smile to form on Sun's face.

"We'd." Abe gestured her daughter to look at Sun. Mallow did for a quick second before reverting her eyes back to the ground. "We'd sincerely hope you accept my daughters apology and drop by the restaurant some time. I'll gladly whip you up something refreshing to eat. For old times sake!" Abe's kind offer warmed Sun's chest up.

"We won't be as rude as before. Though, I'm sure you know that already," Lana chimed in. It was her turn to sneakily wink at Sun. "Isn't that right, Kiawe?" She jabbed him in the arm for good measure.

Kiawe clutched his arm painfully. For a small girl, Lana sure did hit hard. "Yes. I suppose we can tolerate you a bit better." Sun figured that that was the best he could get from Kiawe so he let it be.

"It'd be a bummer if you leave so soon! It's hasn't been the same around here without you! We still haven't had a battle since your return. I want to show you how strong I've become since our last battle!" Hau offered Sun a friendly smirk. Sun laughed a little.

"Hau has a point. You and I still haven't had that champion battle you owe me." Gladion spoke before facing the other way. "Idiot." In Sun's head, idiot was Gladion's way of acting nice. He'd been called far worse by him in the past.

Ash was next. "I may not know you as well as the others but what I do know is that you're a friend worth having around. You taught me a lot in two days to help strengthen my team. I hope you stick around for my battle against Nanu and see how it payed off." Ash smiled embarrassingly.

"You see, Sun? These people are willing to make up for whatever they did while others are wanting your friendship to stay ar-" Lusamine was interrupted by a louder speaker.

"Attention. All passengers going to Kanto board immediately. Final warning before we sail off!" The voice announced.

"Well? What do you say, Sun?" Everyone could imagine the war going on inside the head of Sun's. They needed one more push in the right direction.

Gladion noticed his sister fidget. He took this as an opportunity and nudged her shoulder. "Go on. Let him know why he should stay in Alola," Gladion urged her to say something.

"O-okay..." Lillie squeaked quietly. To his surprise, instead of using her words, Lillie proceeded to walk towards Sun. The boy didn't see her, too busy spacing out for the moment.

"Yes, Lillie? Need something?" Lusamine gave Lillie an all knowing grin and tilted her head to Sun. Lillie's face heated up, knowing exactly what she wanted to do but embarrassed that her mother knew too. Now, Lillie stood in front of Sun.

"Ahem." Lillie cleared her throat. Sun came back to reality and flinched slightly. He didn't realize Lillie was so close to know. They locked eyes with one another for what felt like minutes.

Sun was about to ask her why she was there until Lillie dove right in and smothered herself onto Sun's chest. She groped the back of Sun's shirt and pulled him closer to her, wishing that they'd never separate the hug. Her eyes began to water, dampening Sun's shirt as she buried herself deeper into Sun's body.

Sun's blush reached his neck. The sudden action from Lillie caught him off guard. He felt a strange surge of familiarity as she hugged him. Not wanting to appear rude to everyone, especially Gladion, Sun awkwardly returned the hug. He wasn't sure how to grasp upon this situation.

Sun would never admit that hugging her back was the best feeling that he experienced in a long time.

"Gr…" Gladion growled. He didn't like someone being so close to Lillie one bit. It didn't help that it was with that idiot, Sun.

"Why the long face, Gladion?" Kiawe asked. "I'm sure you know better than everyone else how Lillie feels."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Gladion grumbled. Though, the two were looking at the scene two different ways. Kiawe saw it as a friendly hug since he found out how much Lillie missed Sun. In Gladion's head, he knew exactly what was going on.

Lusamine smiled warmly at the two kids. "I'll take that as a…?"

"Alright, you got me. I'll stay in Alola!" Sun announced. The people around them cheered at the news. The ship's horn honked as it sailed off to Kanto and was being replaced by a different ship that came from Kanto itself.

Sun already released his hold on Lillie but she didn't budge. Lillie remained entangled with Sun. A small smile was on her face that was caught by no one.

"You can let go now," Sun said softly so only she could hear it. Sun didn't know if the hug could be any tighter but Lillie proved him otherwise. She tightened her grip on him.

Lusamine giggled. "Ah, young love!" She cooed.

"Eh!?!?!?" Sun shouted in disbelief. He could feel the spot where Lillie was hugging him burn up. Before anyone could say another word, a new voice called out to Sun.!

"SUN!!! SUNNY!!! IT'S MEEEE!!!" Sun's head turned faster than a cheetah finding its prey. His eyes sparkled when he saw who it was.

"MOON!?!?" With unfamiliar strength, Sun pushed Lillie off of him and ran up to the newcomer. Lillie wiped her tears to see who it was.

In the distance, she could see that it was a girl about their age. The girl, Moon, had pale skin with a familiar set of dull blue eyes as Sun. Her medium length black hair was done with twin braids. Her clothes consisted of an orange spaghetti strap tank top with a pattern of red patterns. She had white shorts along with a pair of white open toed shoes. A small yellow beach hat sat on her had with a small red flower patched on the side of it. Lastly, a a strap was around her neck that held a yellow bag.

Lillie glared at the newcomer, angry that she ruined their moment.

"Moon!" Sun ran towards the girl with a bright smile.

"Sunny!" Moon did the same with a similar expression.

"Moon!" The two were a close distance from each other.

"Sunny!" Moon spread her arms out wide.

"Moon!" Sun mimicked this and prepared to bear hug the heck out of moon.

"Sunny…" Moon stepped out of the way at the very last second and smacked the back of Sun's head. Sun face planted to the ground with a thud. Moon straddled his back and began hitting him with punches.

"Why did you leave Kanto without saying goodbye to me!? Idiot! Do you not care about me the slightest after all we've been through!? I had to ask your mom where you were and everything! Do you know how embarrassing that was!? Stupid stupid idiot!!!"

Sun weakly lifted his head. "Nice to see you again, Moon," He said before his head was pushed back to the ground, courtesy of Moon's punch.

Everyone stood at the sideline, sweatdropped at the scene.

"This is what I should be expecting when Sun's around?" Ash asked to no one in particular. That's because the answer was right in front of him. "Should we go help him?"

Lusamine laughed strangely. "Give it another minute or two, it'll teach him not to make us worry so much about him."

Ash had never been more scared of Lusamine since the Ultra Beast incident.

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Quick Second Author's Note: Moon and Sun are not related and I went with the Ultra Sun and Moon outfit for Moon. Next chapter will feature Moon's team, aftermath of the attempted departure, some Sun and Moon bonding, and some quick training with Ash and Sun! Stay tuned!_**

 ***Elio is the name of Sun's father; his mom might be Selene or something different.**


	7. Moonrise

_**Sorry for not updating anything last week. I decided to take a short break and relax a bit. It also didn't help that I got writer's block towards the middle of this chapter which is why it may seem a bit dry but I'm content with the rest of it. If you squint hard enough you can catch a thing dealing with Ash x Mallow and it's now in the story summary! Weekly two chapter updates return so be on a lookout. Also one month anniversary and almost two thousand views woo! Thanks so much for the support! So without further ado, enjoy the chapter.**_

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Pokémon. That is all**.

 **xxxxx**

"Hmph!" Moon huffed after she got off of Sun. She turned around, crossed her arms, and stuck her nose up as high as possible.

"Is that a Mew…?" Sun slurred, stars appearing above his head from the blows he received from Moon. He groaned and plopped back down to the ground.

Moon's eyes softened at the sight. Sighing, she crouched down and offered him her hand. Sun slowly took her hand and stood back up…

Only for Moon to flip him around and smack him again.

"Idiot! Don't think I'm forgiving you so easily!!!" She screamed. Sun decided to take a little nap due to the pain he was gifted with.

"Sun!" Ash ran to the fallen Sun with worry. "Speak to me buddy!" He pleaded, beginning to smack his cheeks left and right.

Sophocles interjected, "Ash, don't do that!" He made Ash step out of the way. "It's like this!" Sophocles slapped Sun harder than Ash did.

Hau scoffed and demanded Sophocles to move. "Both of you are wrong. It's like this!" Hau began to kick Sun's sides repetitively.

"Grrr…" Moon glared at the three hatefully. In a blink of an eye, she zipped behind them.

"Don't you three hurt Sunny!" The three boys joined Sun on the ground.

"Ash!" Mallow yelled in worry.

Professor Kukui came into the fray. "Now there. We can't have you hurting my students like that. How about we take a deep breath and-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Moon shouted, punching the professor right in the stomach. Professor Kukui fell to his knees, clutching his stomach painfully. He collapsed on the ground too.

"Anyone else got something to say!?" Moon dared, a sour look on her face as she glared at the rest. They all shook their heads quickly.

"Good," Moon said with satisfaction. "Come on, Sun. We're taking the next ship back to Kanto!" Moon dragged the unconscious Sun by his collar to the docks.

"Woah woah woah!" Abe tested his luck and walked towards the girl. "Sun has just decided to stay in Alola. You can't just take him away without his consent." He braced himself for any incoming pain.

"Why can't I?" To his surprise, Moon stared at him, confused.

He regained his composure. "It's not right. He could get really mad at you when he wakes up in a ship."

Moon laughed and nuzzled Sun's head. "But Sunny would never get angry at me!"

Abe chuckled nervously. "He might get-"

Moon karate chopped the back of Abe's neck in a flash. "What I say is final!" She left the man and continued to drag Sun to the docks.

"Hey!" Mallow hollered. "What's your deal? You can't hurt my father like that!"

"What are _you_ going to do about it?" Moon sneered.

Mallow hesitated before turning to Kiawe. "What are we going to do about it?"

Kiawe instantly thought of an idea. "I know! We went through a lot of trouble convincing Sun to stay. You want him to go with you. I propose a challenge."

Moon dropped Sun's head to the ground. "Go on." She was genuinely curious about the potential proposal.

Kiawe pulled out one of his poké balls. "We'll have a battle! Winner gets to keep Sun. Do you accept?" Kiawe had no idea what he was getting himself into. This Moon girl was a complete mystery to him. He didn't even know if she was a trainer or not. She had to be.

"A battle!?" Moon sputtered. "I say, bring it!" Moon searched and fished out six poké balls from her bag. "Come on out everyone!" She tossed them to the air.

Kiawe observed the pokémon in her possession. By the looks of it, Moon was an expert in psychic-type pokémon. A Hypno gazed blankly at Kiawe. Next was a Slowking who lazily laid down on the ground. Followed up was a Jinx and Mr. Mime that stood next to each other. An Alakazam fiddled with his spoons, bored. Lastly was a Blastoise which Kiawe assumed to be her starter pokémon since she was from Kanto.

"Alright, bring out your pokémon and we'll have a full six on six battle since the stakes are so high!" Moon patted herself on her chest arrogantly.

Kiawe flushed red from what he was about to say. "Actually, I only have two pokémon. Three but I don't usually use my Charizard for battles."

"Eh!?" Moon gasped. "You don't even have a full team and you still wish to challenge me!? Ha!"

Kiawe felt a pang of anger in his chest. This newcomer underestimated him because he technically only had two pokémon. Someone tapped on his arm, gaining his attention.

Lillie looked at him with an annoyed expression. "Come on, Kiawe! Go and crush that girl!" Something seemed off in her voice but Kiawe chose to ignore it.

"Can we please just have a two on two battle?" He asked.

Moon sighed and nodded. She called back four of her pokémon. The ones that stayed were Alakazam and Blastoise. Moon considered them her top aces.

Kiawe released his Turtonator and Marowak. "Okay guys, we're going to have to give it our all! No holding back!" In truth, he only wanted Sun back because of Lillie. It was the least he could do for being so inconsiderate earlier.

Moon grinned, fully planning to use the type advantage that her Blastoise has on Marowak effectively.

"Marowak, you're up first!" Kiawe commanded. Marowak nodded and stepped forward. The remaining people who didn't suffer Moon's wrath came in closer to watch the battle. This included Lana, Mallow, Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine.

Moon snickered. "All part of my plan! Blastoise, soak 'em down!" Blastoise marched forward and had a stare-off with Marowak.

 **Kiawe vs. Moon!**

"Who do you think is taking this win?" Lana questioned everyone present. "I'm not too sure. I haven't seen her in battle."

"Kiawe's tough. He'll take this home," Mallow hummed.

Gladion looked at Moon's pokémon carefully, scouting the possible competition.

Lusamine had her hands on Lillie's shoulders. "Oh dear, you shouldn't bottle up your feelings. I'm sure this Moon girl is just a friend." She was met with no response. Lillie refused to watch the battle. She didn't want to even spare a glance at Moon.

"Hehehe, jealousy sure can work in different ways," Lusamine teased her daughter.

"Mother…" Lillie buried her heavy blush with her hands.

"Let's start this off with Rapid Spin!" Blastoise encased himself in his shell and threw himself at Marowak while spinning at a fast pace.

"Jump out of the way!" Marowak jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the attack. Kiawe sighed in relief and went over some strategies in his head.

"I got it. Shadow Bone!" Marowak sprinted towards Blastoise with the club bone in hand. The bone keeper pokémon let out a battle cry as it jumped in the air and prepared to slam its bone club on Blastoise.

"Withdraw!" The shellfish pokémon quickly inserted himself inside his shell. Marowak landed on the hardened shell and whacked it a few times. No effect. Frustrated, it unleashed a barrage of hits with its weapon but still no avail.

"Bonemerang! Make sure it goes inside Blastoise's shell!" Marowak flung its bone club into the distance and hopped off of Blastoise's shell. The bone club made its way back and was directly inside the shell.

Blastoise got out of his Withdraw form and was holding the club bone in his mouth. Moon giggled at this.

"Tee-hee! We'll be fair and give the bone right back. Isn't that right, Blastoise?" Moon asked her pokémon with a wink. The shellfish pokémon understood what she meant and waddled towards Marowak. Blastoise grinned and presented the bone club to Marowak. It gripped its prized possession and tried to pull back. The water-type didn't let go.

"Throw him to outer space!"

"Wait! No! Marowak, let go!" Kiawe shouted. It was too late. Blastoise threw the bone club high in the air with Marowak still holding on to it. The bone keeper pokémon beamed brightly now that it had its bone club back. It was then that it realized that it was in the sky when a wild Trumbeak flew past it. Marowak sweatdropped before it started descending down to the ground.

"Ooh! I see that Marowak!" Moon raised her fist to the air. "Finish this with Hydro Pump!"

"Dodge it, Marowak!" Kiawe's spirit's shrunk when Marowak failed to do so. The blast of water coming from Blastoise's cannons soared to the air and struck the bone keeper pokémon. It was so powerful that it was sent back up a few feet.

"Come on…" Kiawe anticipated the result of his pokémon's condition. Marowak landed on the ground on its back unresponsive. "Figures. You did great Marowak." Kiawe recalled Marowak back in its poké ball so it could get some rest.

"What's the matter? Didn't seem like you were giving it you're all." Moon then shrugged and smirked at Kiawe. "Then again, you probably were. It wasn't good enough to beat me though."

Kiawe gritted his teeth, offended by what she said. She was like the female version of Sun with that cocky attitude of hers. He kept his cool and told Turtonator that it was up next. To add insult to injury, Moon didn't switch pokémon and had something to say.

"I don't even need to use Alakazam now that I know your strength. Blastoise will finish your Turtonator too!" She gloated.

Lana heard the conversation and sighed. "Kind of reminds me of Sun…" She muttered wistfully. Even if they're on good terms, there was no denying the fact that Sun was just as arrogant as Moon during his final weeks in Alola.

Kiawe looked over at his friends and then at his Turtonator. He had to win this no matter what. It'd be his fault if Moon takes Sun back to Kanto. Pushing his feelings aside in order to make others content. He observed her Blastoise carefully.

Moon tapped her invisible watch on her wrist. "Hurry up. I don't have all day. Sun and I are heading back to Kanto by tomorrow."

Turtonator narrowed his eyes at Blastoise, who did the same thing in return. He urged Kiawe to let it start the battle.

"Right! Turtonator, start this off with Flamethrower!" Kiawe ordered. Turtonator followed his order and breathed out a beam of fire. The fire zoomed in a straight line at Blastoise.

"Dodge it!" The shellfish pokémon swiftly got out of the way. "Hydro Pump!" Like before, Blastoise released his heavy stream of water and aimed it at Turtonator.

"Flamethrower one more time!" Kiawe reacted quickly to the move. A war took place as both fire and water collided with each other, fighting to gain dominance over the other. Ultimately, Hydro Pump won and began pushing further, diminishing the fire. Turtonator was forced to take in the attack.

"Turtonator!" Kiawe cried out in worry. Turtonator staggered to regain his footing. Moon decided to take advantage of this situation.

"Rapid Spin!" Blastoise withdrew himself in his shell and spun rapidly towards the fire-type pokémon. The realization dawned in the mind of Kiawe. He smirked and shouted his next command.

"Shell Trap!" The blast turtle pokémon turned around and sneaked in a trap on his shell. Before Moon had a chance to figure out what was going on it was too late. Blastoise slammed his shell into Turtonator's shell and a huge explosion followed in favor of Turtonator.

"Blastoise!?" Moon sputtered in shock as her Blastoise came flying back from the explosion. He landed on the ground, the pain overwhelmed him tremendously.

"You got this Kiawe!" Mallow cheered. She then crouched back down to check on her fallen father once more.

"Give it your all!" Lana chimed in. Her hopes rose once she knew that Moon fell for the Shell Trap. Now she eagerly awaited Kiawe next move.

"I got to finish this right now!" Kiawe's z ring started to glow. He readied up his pose along with Turtonator. Moon's eyes widened, remembering something similar with Sun.

"My full-bodied, full-spirited, full-power! Inferno Overdrive!!!" Kiawe assisted Turtonator with a boost in power. A large ball of fire was formed by the blast turtle pokémon and he dropped it at Blastoise. The z-move hit with precise aim.

"Blastoise, no!" Moon whined, seeing her pokémon out for the count. The top portion of her face darkened. There was no way she was losing. She had to pull out the big guns.

"Yeah!" Mallow and Lana exclaimed happily. The tides have turned now.

Gladion watched the battle with mixed feelings. He was impressed with Kiawe's pokémon. He might even be a challenge if he were to get more pokémon. Then his attention switched to Moon. Her arrogant behavior cost her. Mistakes like that annoyed Gladion.

Lusamine quirked an eyebrow. "Gladion dear~" She squealed cheekily, ruffling his blonde hair. "I knew this day would come! You finally like a girl!" The entire area went dead silent. Even the two battlers turned to the blonde women. Moon eyed Gladion uncomfortably.

Speaking of Gladion, he hadn't moved an inch since his mother uttered those words. His stoic expression changed into an angry one. His face became red either from anger or embarrassment. He swatted his mother's hands from his head. He unrealistically towered over her, his head big with the emotions he was going to let out.

"I do not like that idiot! I don't even know her! This is so like you mother, intruding in my business!"

Lusamine chuckled, "Aw. It's okay Gladion. You may be denying it at first but in a few months, you two will be sitting in a tree ki-"

"That's it!" Gladion stormed off, a dark aura surrounding him. "Tell Sun that he still owes me a battle, Lillie." Was his final words.

Lusamine placed a hand over her mouth, concerned. "Lillie, you don't think that I went a bit too far, do you?" Lillie chose to ignore her mother. Everyone else awkwardly stood there, not sure what to say.

"Psybeam!" Moon suddenly cried out. Alakazam crossed his spoons together and shot out a multicolored beam to Turtonator. An exclamation mark appeared on top of Kiawe's head. He was too distracted to pay attention to the battle. Turtonator suffered the effects of the beam and unfortunately for him, he became confused by the move.

"Now Focus Punch!" Alakazam's left hand and the spoon he was holding glowed white. He charged hotly towards Turtonator and delivered a finishing blow to his underside. The blast turtle pokémon skidded a few feet away and fell to his side with swirls in his eyes.

 **Winner - Moon!**

"Hooray!" Moon leapt to the air. "Let's get out of here Sunny!" Moon called back her pokémon.

"H-how can I lose my focus like that," Kiawe muttered, disappointed in himself. He hung his head low.

Mallow saw this and glared at Moon. "Hey! That wasn't fair and you know it! He wasn't even ready!"

Kiawe put his hand out, signalling her to stop. "No. It's my own fault. I shouldn't have been distracted by whatever the heck was going on there." He waved his hand to the general direction of Lusamine and her daughter.

Lusamine realized her mistake. "Was it because of me? I'm sorry everyone." She tilted her head down to see Lillie's reaction. Her daughter was shaking. "There there, Lillie." Lusamine wrapped her arms around her.

Lillie angrily got out of it. She glared at her mother. "Sun's gone now because of you and your constant meddling!" Lillie said loud enough for everyone but the departing Moon to hear. The blonde girl ran away, not wanting to see her mother.

"Now what?" Lana said out loud. No one answered her, instead looking on at Moon leaving with Sun.

"Hey, Ash is awake!" Mallow informed everyone.

"Ugh…" A now awaken Ash groaned. "How long have I been out?" He sat up and clutched his head painfully.

"Eh…?" Sophocles and Hau also regained consciousness. The trio got back on their feet and looked around.

"Hiyah!" Professor Kukui peeformed a kip up. "Where is that girl!?" He wasn't going to let Moon get away from her actions.

"Mallow?" Abe said to his daughter.

"Dad! You're finally awake!" She hugged her father with relief.

Lana quizzically raised a finger. "If everyone else is up then that means that Sun should be too!" Like magic, they all heard Sun shout something.

"Hey! Stop dragging me, Moon!" Sun woke up to feeling himself being dragged by the collar of his shirt. He gazed up to see that it was Moon.

Moon smiled sweetly. "Heya, Sunny! Don't worry about this. I'm just taking you back to Kanto where you belong. I missed you so much," She said innocently. A frown replaced her smile when Sun wiggled his way out of her grasp.

"No way! It hasn't even been a week yet! I'm staying here for a bit! You can go back on your own! Why would you even come here if you were going back so soon?" Sun argued. He seemed to push the wrong buttons. Moon growled darkly at him.

"No! We are going back together and that's final!" Sun dodged her incoming hit and fully stood up.

"Go alone! I got business here-ah!" Sun made a run for it as fast as he could. Moon was right behind him, shouting curses that a rated K story shouldn't know about.

"Ahhhhhh!" Sun screamed, flailing his arms in the air. He knew that Moon was about to catch up with him. She was always faster than him.

"Get back here, Sunny!" Moon yelled, groping the fabric of his shirt. Sun lightly pushed her and continued his escape, with Moon not too far behind.

"Hey! There's Sun!" Sophocles pointed to the horror struck Sun.

"And there's Moon!" Lana cried out. They saw Sun run around in circles trying to avoid Moon.

"We got to go help him!" Ash said worriedly.

Sun yelped as he was tackled to the ground by Moon. He fell on his back with a thud. Moon pinned him to the ground and scowled.

"We're leaving." By now, the others have surrounded the two. Kiawe pried Moon off with ease and set her to the side. Hau helped Sun to his feet.

"Noo! Sunny!" Moon sobbed.

"Thank you guys!" Sun thanked his friends gratefully. "This crazy girl would've taken me back home if it weren't for you all."

"Hey!" Moon said, offended. "I'm not crazy!"

"You once tried to steal my gym badges right in front of me!" Sun replied incredulously. "Then there's the time where you and your Alakazam took me hostage to your home so that I could meet your family! You also hid yourself in my room because you quote on quote, _'miss me.'_ And don't forget about the clothing incident."

Moon blushed, embarrassed. "Don't remind me you meanie!" A smile formed on Moon's face as she skipped merrily to Sun and wrapped her arms around his neck. She nuzzled his cheek against hers with tiny hearts popping beside her. "But you're still my bestest friend, Sunny!"

Kiawe chuckled, "Sunny?" He found the name amusing.

"Yep! He makes my day all bright and sunny when I'm with him." Sun pushed Moon off of him, his cheeks flaring redder than a pokédex.

"Come on, Moon. You're embarrassing me," Sun groaned, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Moon giggled at this.

"Wait wait wait," Sophocles interjected. "So your name is Moon, right?" Moon nodded, much to Sophocles' delight. "Wow! So we have both a Sun and a Moon!" The three shared a laugh.

"That's why we hit it off so well! I thought it was pretty weird being named after a big rock. Turns out there was someone like me named after a big star! What are the odds!?" Despite what happened earlier, Sophocles was beginning to like the girl.

Sun placed a hand on Sophocles' shoulder. "I guess there's a round of introductions to do. This right here is Sophocles! He's been my friend since I was five." Sophocles and Moon shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Sophocles! You know, Sun's mentioned you quite often."

"He has?" Sophocles inquired, sporting a wide smile.

"Yeah! But hey…" Moon's voice softened. "Does that mean you're also the only one out of the bunch that…" Moon spared a glance at the others who were watching closely. She hovered next to his ear and whispered so only he could hear. She retracted back with a small frown when Sophocles nodded solemnly.

"The only one for what?" Ash asked, confused. Before Moon fired a harsh insult, Sun stepped in.

"Before you go any further, he knows about the thing. He isn't a part of it so don't be so rude, 'kay?"

"Okay…" Moon trusted his word and smiled at Ash.

"That's Ash Ketchum and he's from Pallet Town," Sun informed her.

Moon's eyes sparkled. "Wow! So you're from Kanto too? Cool!" She gasped when she saw Pikachu by his leg. "Aww! It's a Pikachu!" Moon sped over to the mouse pokémon and gushed over him. She pinched his tiny rosy round cheeks.

Unfortunately for Moon, Pikachu hated being coddled by strangers. Pikachu's body was surrounded by electricity and he shocked Moon! Moon yelped, feeling the many volts stimulate her body.

"Gah! Sunny, save me!" She jumped into Sun's arm, slightly burnt from the electricity. Moon buried her face in Sun's shoulder.

"Pikachu!" Ash gasped. "I'm sorry. Pikachu isn't keen on strangers touching him. I know he didn't mean to do that, right Pikachu?" Pikachu gave Moon the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

Moon huffed and tilted her head up. "Hmph! I've always liked Pichus and Raichus better!"

"Pika!!!" Pikachu's face paled, hurt by the comment. He slumped to the ground while Ash tried to console him.

"Hehe." Sun gestured to Hau next. "Speaking of Raichus, my friend Hau owns an Alolan Raichu!" Sun stated. Moon bounced over to Hau.

"An Alolan Raichu!? I never heard of one of those. Can I see it?" Moon pleaded. Hau grinned and released his Raichu.

"Aww!" Moon squealed, grabbed the Alolan Raichu from the air. "Wow! They can fly!? So cute!" She hugged him tightly. Pikachu watched the scene with jealousy evident in his eyes.

Raichu stiffened at Moon's touch. Naturally, since someone was up in his personal space, Raichu decided to give her the shock of her life.

"Owie! Sunny!" Moon jumped back into his arms, feeling the effects of a second burst of electricity. "These pokémon are mean!"

Hau smiled nervously. "Sorry! I know Raichu didn't mean it. He's a bit shy around new people." Raichu's eyes gleamed for forgiveness

"Hmph!" Moon stuck her tongue out at Raichu. "I change my mind. Pichus are way better!"

"Rai!!!" Raichu dramatically fell to his side.

Sun patted Moon's head and picked up her hat that dropped when she was electrocuted.

"Don't be too hard on Hau. He's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Hau's been with me since I started the… Island Challenge." Sun hesitated for a second before finishing his sentence.

"I don't know…" Moon didn't dare to look at Hau again.

"She'll warm up eventually," Sun reassured him. Hau nodded, a bit upset that someone disliked him. Though, he trusted Sun's words and hoped that they'll become friends soon.

Sun pointed to the professor. "That guy right there is Professor Kukui. He's the one who's taught me everything that I need to know."

Professor Kukui smirked and wiped the invisible dust from his shoulders. "I don't mean to brag but _I_ am a good teacher."

Sun deadpanned, "Don't push it." Professor Kukui's jaw slacked when he said that. "Anyway, the other male adult here is Abe! He runs a restaurant here in Melemele Island called Aina's Kitchen! I used to go there a lot when I was a kid!" His smile wavered at the memories he had there. Especially with his dad.

Mallow awkwardly hugged her arm from the acknowledgment of the restaurant and how Sun visited the place frequently. She let her dad do the talking.

"It's very nice to meet you Moon. My neck still hurts a bit." Abe rubbed his neck. "Nice chop."

"Eh?!" Sun had a hunch by what Abe meant. "Did Moon hurt you?"

"She hurt me!" Ash whined.

"And me!" Sophocles added in.

"Me too!" Hau said.

"Don't forget about me!" Professor Kukui exclaimed.

"Ehehe." Moon prodded her fingers together. "Maybe I did go a bit too far with that "

"A bit!?!?" Sun, Ash, Hau, Sophocles, Abe, and Professor Kukui said in unison. Moon groaned and hugged Sun's back to hide her face.

"No hard feelings though!" Abe said gently. "You're free to come by the restaurant anytime you want. Since you're a friend of Sun, your first meal will be free!" He ignored the loud _'What!?'_ from his daughter.

"Thank you," Moon replied quietly. She clung to Sun like a leech, in the good type of way. Maybe.

"And next we have Miss Lusamine! I've known her for a while too," Sun introduced her. Though, Lusamine was still a bit glum for what she caused a few minutes ago. Nevertheless, she presented a forced smile to Moon.

"Yes, nice to meet you Moon," She dismissed the conversation quickly. Sun eyed her, confused before shrugging it off.

"She's been a big help since after…" Sun stopped for the umpteenth time and whispered the last bit to Moon quietly. She nodded understandably and motioned him to continue the introductions.

Sun sighed, dreading the next introductions. "That's water girl right there. She was a part of the thing." Sun pressed his mouth close to Moon's left ear. "We're sort of on good terms right now."

Lana waved politely at Moon. "It's splendid to meet you Moon."

"Sure." Moon didn't share her friendly attitude. Sun mouthed a _'sorry'_ towards Lana's direction.

"Over there is Kiawe." Moon puffed out her chest and smirked cockily.

"That's his name? I beat him in a battle ten minutes ago. Not really a challenge," Moon said to Sun, secretly trying to impress him.

Sun laughed. "Really? I beat him the day I came back here!" The two shared a high-five, much to Kiawe's displeasure. He grumbled a small greeting and left it at that.

"Finally…" Sun pinched the bridge of his nose. "There's green. Don't ever go near her. She's the ringleader in all of this," He mumbled the last part to Moon only.

"I see." Moon didn't spare Mallow a glance. The green haired girl fought the urge to run away, fully knowing what Sun told her.

Sun looked around for someone. "There were two more people here. Gladion and blondie. Guess they ditched me."

 _'Gladion? That must be that creep ogling me.'_ Moon thought to herself. _'Blondie must be that other girl with him.'_

With introductions out of the way, Moon grabbed Sun's arm possessively. She squished her cheek to his arm.

"That's nice and all but we should really be going. The people here are mean."

Sun shook his head. "I already told you, I'm staying here for a bit. You're free to tag along too."

Moon contemplated on what she should do. On one hand, the people Sun introduced rubbed her the wrong way with first impressions. She was okay with Ash, Sophocles, and Abe. Professor Kukui was too bossy when they first met. Lusamine gave her a strange vibe to steer clear from her. Hau and his pokémon were mean. She was still suspicious of Lana and Kiawe. And Mallow, well she couldn't hate the girl more from what Sun told her.

But on the bright side, she was going to be with Sun! Her best friend! She chose the obvious choice.

"I'll stay with you, Sunny!" Moon cooed affectionately.

Sun awkwardly glanced to the side. "Great, I think. Did you pack anything useful?"

Moon nodded ecstatically. "I sure did!" She unzipped her bag. "I brought yummy snacks!" Several bags of chips and bars of candy flew out of her traveling bag. Sun face palmed.

"Only you, Moon," He grumbled as he watched Moon pop open a bag of chips. Sophocles hungrily came over and nabbed a bag from the ground. He was inches away from opening it until…

"Hey!" Moon swiped the bag from Sophocles. "I brought these for only Sunny and I!" She shoved the bag in Sun's arms and munched her chips with a cross expression on her face.

"Be nice Moon." Sun shot Sophocles an apologetic smile and tossed the bag to him. "Sharing is caring after all."

"Thanks!" Sophocles chirped, happily eating his bag of chips.

"Don't take it too hard Sophocles," Sun said. "Moon can be a bit of a menace at first." He avoided the jab from Moon and continued. "That's how she was when we first met but she warmed up to me later."

"I am not a menace!" Moon pouted, clearly not liking the insult, especially from Sun.

"And I'm not a pokémon trainer," Sun remarked, biting a fair chunk of a candy bar.

"That reminds me," Sophocles piped in. "How did you two meet?" Sun was about to answer the question until Moon pushed his face out of the way and shared her tale instead.

"Oh it was just marvelous!" Moon dramatically placed a hand over her forehead. "I, a lady in need of assistance, found the mighty Sunny training his strong pokémon. But before I could get there, a wild Beedrill came and chased me all the way to the Viridian Forest. I was cornered and when all hope seemed lost, my knight in shining armor came to the rescue! Sunny punched the mean pokémon with his fists and scared them all off without help from his pokémon. I thanked him dearly and let Sunny pick me up like a princess. We walked off happily ever after!" Moon finished with hearts in her eyes.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Ash eavesdropped on the story and was impressed by Sun's will to help people.

"Yeah it is!" Sophocles agreed.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Hau said, also overhearing the story.

Sun lightly smacked Moon's hat off of her head. "That never happened, Moon! What really happened was I beat the Pewter City gym leader, Brock, and Moon didn't. So she waited for me to exit the gym and bombarded me with questions on how I did it. She didn't even let me answer since she knocked me out cold!" Sun spat out bitterly. Moon's jealousy back then was out of control. She couldn't bare with the fact that a boy did better than her.

"Why can't you let me be me!" Moon scowled.

"Cool! You beat Brock!" Ash grinned openly at the mention of his old traveling companion. "So you and Moon traveled together then?"

Sun nodded. "Yeah. We shared just about everything together until it was the day of the pokémon league. Wouldn't want to share your battle tactics with a potential opponent, friend or not." Sun developed an arrogant smirk. "I beat Moon in the semi-final rounds by the way. Just thought I'd point that out."

"Hey! Why'd you say that, meanie!"

Ash chuckled, the memories of his first pokémon league sprouting in his head. He'd never forget those memories with his friends, Brock and Misty.

"It's been nice and all." Professor Kukui got their attention. "But I've got to go around and find some people willing to help me out with the league."

Lusamine's eyes widened, snapping her out of her sad demeanour. "A league you say? In Alola? May I ask, what might you need help with?" She asked curiously. Professor Kukui's mood skyrocketed.

"One problem I need assistance is where the league should be located and how I'm going to construct it," He informed her in a formal tone.

"Is that all? I can help you out with that. We should talk more in depth about this if you're really serious about making a pokémon league in Alola."

Professor Kukui stared at her with his most serious look. "More than anything. This is my dream right now and I'm willing to do anything that it takes to make it happen." His words made an impact to everyone in the area. Hearing the professor speak so passionately on the matter convinced Lusamine.

"Then we should be on our way. We'll have to discuss this for quite a while," Lusamine said. Professor Kukui smiled and gestured Sun to him. He whispered something to him that caused Sun to grin deviously.

"Sure thing professor! You can count on me!" Sun saluted the professor as he and Lusamine headed back inside the limousine and drove off.

"I got to get going too. I can't leave my restaurant unattended," Abe said. "I can take you guys back home if you want."

Sun waved him off. "That's alright sir. We're going to stay here a little while longer. Ash needs to have his special training today."

"We're still up for that?" Ash spoke.

Sun frowned. "Well, duh! Didn't I say we'd train everyday?" He reminded him.

"Heh. Guess I kind of forgot with everything that happened today," Ash admitted. Secretly he was glad that they were still doing some training. He had today and two more days left until he'll challenge Nanu to a rematch.

"I want to go home," Mallow told her father.

"Same here," Kiawe added in. The two turned to Lana questionably.

"Um… I think I'll stay here for a bit. You know, to keep an eye on things." Lana wanted to hang out with Sun and their friends. She'd have to give Mallow some time to cool off. Knowing Kiawe, he'd be at home taking care of his younger sibling. It wasn't like she didn't care about her younger siblings, she loved them. But once in a while, Lana wanted to have some fun with her friends. Maybe even get more hints as to who Moon is.

"Then it's settled!" Sun said. "We should get going before the sun sets. Hehe. I know just the place we should head off to!"

"Where?" Ash asked excitingly.

"You'll find out when we get there!" Sun playfully scolded him. "But first, we need to go grab a bite to eat. That way can train some more instead of eating after training like we did yesterday."

Moon wrapped her hands on Sun's arm. "Where are you taking me to eat, Sunny?" She blatantly forgot about everyone else.

Sun smiled and glanced at Hau. Hau knew immediately what he had in mind.

"To the Malasada Store!"

 _ **At the Malasada Store...**_

"Yum! That really hit the spot!" Hau exclaimed, contentedly patting his full stomach. The six trainers had finished their respective meals. Well, everyone but…

"Come on, Moon. It's going to get cold if you don't eat your malasada."

"It looks funny." Moon, being new to the region, was skeptical of the food. She poked the malasada cautiously.

"It's not poisonous you know. I ate one too." Sun got up from his seat along with everyone else. "If you don't want it I can go for seconds."

"No! I'll eat it!" Moon's hunger betrayed her. She slowly grabbed the malasada and took a small bite from it. Her eyes lit up from the exotic taste and she quickly devoured it, potentially rivaling Hau's love of malasadas.

"So yummy!" Moon exclaimed delightfully.

"Great! Now that everyone's done we can get to the actual training part," Sun announced where they were going. "The place where we're heading off to is the police station!"

"Eh!?!?" The five trainers yelled in surprise.

"Why the police station?" Sophocles inquired.

"Is there something special about it?" Ash questioned.

"Oh no, Sunny! Are you going to jail?" The mere thought of it was nerve wracking for her.

"Nah," Sun dismissed their worries. "We'll be doing our training outside of the police station."

Hau turned suspicious. "We can do that anywhere, can't we?"

"We're heading to the police station and that's final!" Sun snapped with anger. Nobody protested any further and the six left the Malasada Shop.

On the way there, Moon hugged Sun's arm and tried to soothe his building frustration.

"There there Sunny." She consoled him. "I won't ask anything else about why we're heading there." Sun stayed silent which slightly angered Moon. Nevertheless, the trip continued.

"Okay, here's the place." The unforgiving building nerved some of them. "We'll be training right here." He gestured to the area of grass next to the police station.

"As I recall yesterday, you wanted to train with Rowlet, right Ash?"

"Right!"

"Well, I have the perfect way to help your Rowlet. Decidueye, come on out buddy!" Sun released Decidueye from his poké ball.

"You too, Rowlet!" Ash did the same, only to be disappointed when Rowlet was sleeping on the ground.

"I was expecting this. Lana, Popplio, if you may." Lana tilted her head in confusion. "Soak him!"

"Oh! Popplio, Bubble Beam!" Popplio enlarged a large bubble of water from its mouth and tossed it over to the sleeping Rowlet.

"Coo!!!" Rowlet squawked. It unruffled its feathers to wipe the water off.

"You listen here!" Rowlet cowered in fear as Sun towered over it. "We're starting your training next. I was going to take it easy on you but it's clear that you require more disciplinary."

Sun stepped back and let his Decidueye take his place. The two grass-types had a stare off. Rowlet cooed innocently and pecked Decidueye's wing. The arrow quill pokémon didn't like that one bit. He punctured his talons to the ground and summoned a Grass Knot to keep Rowlet in place.

"Wah?!" Ash gasped, feeling his left foot getting trapped too. "Why are you getting me too?!"

"Man, do you not remember anything from yesterday," Sun sighed, disheartened when Ash frantically shook his head. "I specifically told you yesterday that both trainer and pokémon must trust and depend on each other. That means you're going to suffer with them." He rubbed his hands like a madman. "You both will connect more that way. Rowlet's going to have to save you that way."

"What?"

"Nothing! Hehe." Sun handed him a clipboard, pen, and a contract. "Just sign here." He flipped the page. "Here." He flipped to the last page. "And here!" Sun smiled, taking the clipboard back.

"What did I sign?" Ash asked.

"Just some forms that'll protect me if you try and get me arrested. No biggie." Sun shrugged absentmindedly.

"Eh!?!? That sounds like a big deal!" He said nervously.

"Relax. It's all part of the training session."

"What's it about?" Moon asked Sun.

"Glad you asked! Decidueye and I are going to perform a series of tests to see how much Rowlet cares about Ash," Sun explained.

"What are the tests?" Lana said.

Sun placed his hands on her shoulder and stared at her eyes. "I'm going to ask this now. Do you trust me." Sun felt a wave of nostalgia rush through him. He wasn't sure if he could trust Lana again but it was worth a shot.

 _For Ash._

"Y-you can count on me!" Lana stuttered, her face heating up for reasons that she would never say.

"Let's see if you'll keep your word this time around," Sun muttered, letting go of Lana.

"Grrrr…" Moon gritted her teeth and glared at Lana. "Enemy spotted."

"Huh?" Lana faced Moon quizzically.

"Nothing! Take it away. Sunny!" Moon passed the attention to him.

"Right. Lana, I'm going to need you to tell Popplio to use as many Bubble Beams it can make and drench it on Ash!" Sun demanded.

"What? But wouldn't that-"

"I thought you said you trusted me…" Sun narrowed his eyes at Lana. Moon smirked at the scene.

"I-I do! Popplio, Bubble Beam on Ash! Do as many as you can!" Following the odd request, Popplio prepared its first Bubble Beam.

"Listen here, Rowlet. Your trainer is going to drown if you don't escape from that Grass Knot," Sun informed Rowlet.

"Drown!?" Ash whimpered.

"Hush you! I was only exaggerating that tidbit. More like you might gain a nasty cold if Rowlet doesn't help!"

"Noooo!" Ash covered his face with his arms as the first Bubble Beam came. His vision was filled with blue.

"Here comes the next one!" Lana warned.

"Please Rowlet! Save me!" Ash pleaded. Rowlet glanced at its trainer before yawning. Ash's face filled with horror and grief.

"Gahhh!!!"

 _ **A few minutes later...**_

"Thanks again, Lana and Popplio." Sun smiled brightly at the two. "This is for you, Ash." He handed the drenched boy a towel.

"Gee, thanks," Ash grumbled. He wiped himself dry to the best of his ability.

"You're welcome!" Sun quipped. He turned to Hau next. "Hau, I'm going to need your help next."

"Anything for you, Sun!" Hau replied with a smile.

"I need your Tauros to assist me." Hau nodded and released his Tauros. "Tell him to use Earthquake."

Ash's pupils dilated. "E-earthquake?"

"Yep! And we'll be standing way over there." Sun, Moon, Lana, Sophocles and Hau walked to the road. "Your Rowlet is going to have to was save you or else your brain is going to be rumbling for an eternity!"

"Aw man…" Ash already accepted his fate judging by the last test.

 _ **Another couple of minutes later...**_

During the test, the Grass Knot snapped off of Ash's leg due to the impact of Earthquake. Decidueye quickly reacting and conjured another one to take its place. To say the least, Rowlet didn't budge no matter what.

"Rowlet, why!" Ash cried out, tears spilling out his eyes. Rowlet cooed and gently closed his eyes, much to Ash's disappointment.

"Well, I was going to let Sophocles shock you to oblivion with his Charjabug or Togedemaru." Ash froze. "But I think we should just skip to the final test which involves me!"

"Is it dangerous?" Ash stupidly asked.

"If you count everything else we did not dangerous, then boy are you in a treat! Decidueye, it's time!" Decidueye and Sun took several steps back.

"It's z-move time!" He yelled. Ash's eyes bulged out of his sockets. He frantically tried to break free.

Sun was doing his pose, ignoring every cry of protest. "From the mighty power of the sun, full power, full strength, Sinister Arrow Raid!!!" Sun passed on the energy to Decidueye. More than a dozen arrows appeared all over Decidueye.

"Rowlet, buddy! I really need you this time!" Ash shouted.

This time, Rowlet finally paid attention to what was going on. It saw Decidueye flying up and charging towards its trainer with the several arrows surrounding his body.

"Coo!" Rowlet attempted to escape the Grass Knot but to no avail. It saw Decidueye get closer and tried harder.

"Coo!!!!!" Rowlet finally managed to snap the Grass Knot from its talon. Now the problem was how to stop Decidueye. The first step was to get rid of the arrows.

Rowlet used Leafage and unleashed several blades of leaves. Only one arrows snapped. The other arrows were too strong to break. Rowlet began to tear up, trying to think of a new strategy. At this point Decidueye was about eight feet away from them.

"Coooooo!!!" Rowlet unraveled all of its hurt emotions and did something no one expected.

 _He used Razor Leaf._

One of the Razor Leafs broke an arrow on impact. Realising the solution, Rowlet shot out more Razor Leafs at a pace that it wasn't familiar with. Each Razor Leaf met its target and soon only one remained. Using its last bit of strength, Rowlet fired one last Razor Leaf the cut the arrow and even managed to hit Decidueye in the face, stopping him in his tracks.

"You did it Rowlet!" Ash cheered. Pikachu rushed over and broke the Grass Knot to free Ash. He collapse on the floor, heart thumping rapidly. "And you learned Razor Leaf. Good job." Ash lazily petted his fallen Rowlet before jumped to his feet like a ninja.

"Alright Sun, what the heck was that all about!?!?" Ash was furious. He could've been seriously hurt if things didn't work out well. "Sun?" Ash noticed that the former Team Skull grunt was gone.

"Sunny!? How did I not see you go?!" Moon wailed, searching for her best friend. The search was on to see where Sun had left off to.

After ten minutes, the door to the police station opened and Sun was the one to come out.He had his hands in his pockets and seemed deep in thought. He didn't see the angry mob coming for him.

 **SLAP!**

"Ah! Lana!" Sun leaned back against the door, holding his left cheek painfully.

"That's for putting Ash in danger!" Lana yelled.

 **CLUNK!**

"Ow!" Sun felt someone smack the back of his head.

"That's for putting me in danger!" Ash seethed.

 **POW!**

"Oof!" Sun clutched his stomach painfully.

"That's for not telling us what you were going to do!" Sophocles scowled.

 **BAM!**

"Come on!" Sun felt a fist collide with the top of his head.

"That's for doing your intense training sessions even when I tell you not too!" Hau frowned deeply.

 **SLAP!**

"Bleh…" Sun fell on his back, tongue out of his mouth from the pain.

"That's for going off without telling me anything!" Moon half screamed before hugging his body. "And this is for making me worry."

A few moment passed, everyone calmed their anger down and waited for Sun to arise. Sun shook his head and pushed Moon off of him.

"What the heck!? Why are you all hitting me?! Ash signed the contract and everything!!!" He brought out his clipboard and it read that the victim will not hold it against him for doing anything risky. "Signature and everything. Maybe you should read before signing papers, Ash!"

Ash flushed and sheepishly grinned. "Whoops."

"Yeah, whoops." Sun collected himself together and took a deep breath. "That's going to leave a bruise for a while." He rubbed his head soothingly.

"Double whoops," Hau said shyly. "What were you doing inside the police station? We were all looking for you."

Sun eyed the building before facing his friends. "I visited a familiar face. Nothing to worry about really. Thought I'd tell him something that's been on my mind for a while." Sun waved it off without a second thought.

"If you say so," Ash replied weakly.

"How'd it go? You're still in one piece so… good news?"

Ash's anger returned. "Wait a minute. I'm still mad at you."

"Read the paper next time then!" Sun countered with the same tone as Ash. "Now quit whining and tell me what went down.

"Tch." Ash wasn't going to let it slide but let it be for now. "Well, Rowlet learned Razor Leaf and took down all of Decidueye's arrows. Rowelt even made him stop."

"Really?" Sun inquired, flabbergasted. "Decidueye wasn't actually going to hit you. He was suppose to stop mid flight. Unless…" Decidueye flapped its wings and landed next to Sun. "You knew Rowlet was going to come through didn't you?"

"What?" Ash was still confused.

"What I mean is Decidueye had full faith in Rowlet to stop him. He never trusts most strangers. That must mean he sees a lot of potential in Rowlet. Speaking of which, where is the little guy?"

"Coo." Rowlet revealed itself by snoring a bit loudly on the ground. The group of six shared a laugh.

"I guess Rowlet does deserve a break," Ash pointed out with Sun agreeing with him. He returned Rowlet back into its poké ball.

"Rowlet's got the right idea. I'm getting a bit tired myself." Sophocles yawned to further prove his point.

Moon sweatdropped. "Oh! But I don't have a place to stay!" An exclamation mark popped above her and she cheekily turned to her best friend. "Sun…?"

To her despair, Sun shook his head. "I would let you sleep in the guest room but I'm not going to my home any time soon."

"Huh? Why?" Hau questioned his friend.

Sun huffed, "That Team Skull grunt knows where I live! No way I can go back without being taken captive in my sleep." He went on when he saw the girls confused gazes. "Long story. I'll tell you all later."

Hau placed a hand on his chin. "That is a problem. We need to find you two a place to stay. It can't be at my place. It's too far away from here. You'll never make it to school on time."

"School?" Moon deadpanned.

"It can't be my place either." Sophocles spoke. "My parents won't allow you to stay over anymore after that stunt we pulled last time."

Sun grinned madly, remembering what he did.

 **Flashback**

"Eeek! Who put a bowl of hot water on my hand. And why is the sheets wet!?" Sophocles' father gasped.

"Ah! Where did my eyebrows go!?" Sophocles' mother shrieked.

Sun and Sophocles were standing out their door. They snickered and high-fived each other.

 **End of Flashback**

Ash gave his input next. "I'm staying at the professor's house. I don't think there's any more room left. Sorry," Ash apologized. That only left one person left.

"Lana… my friend." Sun wrapped an arm over her shoulder and smiled charmingly. "You wouldn't mind if we crash at your place until this is all sorted out, would you?"

"N-no p-pr-problem!" Lana squeaked, shuddering by how close he was.

"Do we have to stay with her?!" Moon growled.

"Unless you want to sleep outside. Take it or leave it Moon."

Moon reluctantly agreed and the six trainers began their way back to their homes with the dimming sun glowing with all its pride.

 _ **At Lana's House...**_

After giving their respective goodbyes with their friends, Lana, Sun and Moon made to their destination. The blue haired girl had her hand on the doorknob and turned back to the two.

"Just a warning, my sisters can get a bit too over excited," She warned.

Sun laughed. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I'm sure they aren't that bad," Moon added in. Lana sighed and slowly opened the door.

"Lana!!!" Two blurs sped to Lana, tackling her to the floor. Sun and Moon exchanged perplexed glances.

"Harper! Sarah! It's great to see you two too!" Lana giggled, hugging her sisters with love. "I brought two guests with me so do be on your best behavior."

"Who?" They both said together.

"Yo," Sun greeted nonchalantly. He immediately regretted it when the twins dragged him to the floor as well.

"Sun-san!" They both squealed, crushing him into a bone crushing hug. "We haven't seen you in so long!"

Sun groaned, weakly patting their heads. "It sure has been a while. I've just been attending some important… spy work! Yeah, that's it!" Sun couldn't bare to see their reactions if he told them that he ditched Alola because of their sister. It was in the heat of the moment and Sun didn't know anything else to say.

"Spy?" Moon rolled her eyes and entered the house. Harper and Sarah let go of Sun and helped him to his feet.

"Wah! You left us for so long we thought you'd never come back!" Sarah wailed.

"Yeah! You've been taking care of us for so long, you're like a big brother that we never had!" Harper sobbed. "But now that you're back you can finally marry Lana and become our real big brother!"

"Eh!?!?!?!?!?!?" Lana and Sun backed away from each other, heavy blushes present on their faces.

"What?" Sarah tilted her head to the side. "Wasn't that always the plan?"

"W-what? N-n-no it w-wasn't… I-I…" Lana collapsed on the couch, too flustered to say anything else.

"But you two are always so close to each. We assumed you were dating," Harper said innocently.

"I-I… b-but… ugh!" Sun also face planted on the couch.

"See! You two are so close to each other on the couch!" Harper pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Gah!!!" The two embarrassed trainers yelped. Sun backed away on one side of the living room with Lana on the other.

"What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Harper added in, not fully thinking about the situation. Luckily for the two, a miracle came.

"Lana?" It was Lana's mother! They were saved. "Oh! There you are. And is that Sun!? Fufufu, bringing your boyfriend to the house again I see."

 _Scratch miracle off the list._

"I'm going to my room!" Lana squeaked, rushing to her room and slamming it shut.

"I hate my life..." Sun buried his face on the couch.

Lana's mother then noticed Moon standing by the door with the angriest expression on her face. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Moon." She gave her a forced smile and explained the sleeping situation to her. She also further went on, saying that they had no where else left to go.

The blue haired woman smiled lovingly. "Of course you two can stay here. Take as much time as you want. A friend of Sun is more than welcome here." She headed to the closest and pulled out a blanket. Lana's mother walked over to Sun and draped the blanket over him.

"I would let Sun sleep in the guest room but seeing how he's already sleeping on the couch, you can stay there for tonight. After today you can sleep in Lana's room," She told Moon, gesturing to the door where Lana bolted to.

"Great," Moon uttered with hatred. She'd have to stay with Lana after today. "I appreciate your kindness ma'am. I really wasn't looking forward to sleeping outside."

"Not at all dear. You can go get ready for bed right now. I have to go put the little one's to bed."

"Awwww..." Harper and Sarah whined. They gave in and followed their mother to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Moon took the moment to slam her head on the wall and curse her luck. She made her way over to the couch, dropped his suitcase on the floor, and ruffled Sun's hair.

"Night, Sunny." With that, Moon got her bag and went inside the guest room.

 _ **Earlier that day...**_

Sun nervously entered the police station. He knew he shouldn't be doing this but he had no choice. He needed answers no matter what. There was only one person he can get them from without being scared out of his mind.

"Excuse me, Officer Jenny." Sun stood at the front desk and called for her assistance.

"Yes?" Officer Jenny asked politely.

"I'm here to see someone. He goes by the name… Jenercocio."

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Quick Author's Note: Oh Lana, what have you gotten yourself into? In case you forgot, Jenercocio is the former Team Skull leader in my story. Next chapter will deal with more school shenanigans and intense training. I may speed things up so that the Grand Trial will be on Chapter Nine. Stay tuned!**_


	8. There's Something About Sun

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

It was another bright sunny morning in Melemele Island. Everyone was up and ready to enjoy the day. Well, almost everyone.

"Moon dear, it's time to get up," Lana's mom said, opening the door to the guest room. Moon was lazily sleeping on her side, a Squirtle plush cuddled up in her arms. It didn't look like she was getting up anytime soon.

Sun walked over, toothbrush in hand. He saw the sleeping Moon and grinned.

"Let Moon sleep in for a while. I don't think she has anything scheduled for today since she just arrived here. I doubt she would want to go to school anyhow." Sun shrugged, heading in the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Lana's mother frowned. "Wouldn't she want to go explore Alola for a bit?" She asked herself. "Then again, she doesn't really know the area well. I don't have time to show her around when Sarah and Harper are around. Those two sure do love to get into some mischief." She chuckled softly before closing the door slowly so she wouldn't disturb Moon's sleep.

Sun finished brushing his teeth and inspected them with the bathroom mirror. He shined a flashy toothy smile which produced a shiny gleam. Sun rummaged through his suitcase and got out a new set of clothes.

This time he wore a plain scarlet colored shirt with black shorts. He tried on a new pair of sandals and a hat that had an ice-type symbol on the front. He examined his new apparel in the mirror.

"Hehe. Looking good," He said to himself. Sun then proceeded to wash up his hair a little. Before he did, something caught his eye. "What's this?" He picked up a blow dryer and eyed it curiously. "Eh. What the heck?" He plugged it in a nearby socket and began fixing his bed hair.

"Wowzers!" Sun exclaimed, seeing the results. Most, if not all of his hair was neatly patted down to its normal appearance. "And so quick too!" Sun mentally cheered for his newfound discovery and gathered up his stuff. He exited the bathroom only to bump into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Sun trailed off when he saw who it was.

"Um… hey Sun!" Lana greeted, avoiding his eye while doing so. The two stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say to one another.

"Yeah… I'll be going over there now." Sun pointed to the living room.

"O-okay! And I'll be heading in there." Lana tilted her head to the bathroom.

"Yep…"

"Right…"

An awkward silence bestowed upon them.

"Lana, you're kind of blocking the way," Sun pointed out. The space between the two made it difficult for Sun to get out.

"Oh! S-sorry!" Lana stepped out of the way, allowing Sun to scurry on out of there and to the living room.

"Geez… is it going to be like that everytime we see each other?" Sun sighed.

He took a seat back on the couch he slept on and checked his suitcase for some necessities.

"Sun-san!" The two hyperactive twins came rushing over to him with unruly speed.

"Woah!" Sun lay against the couch while Sarah and Harper snatched his open suitcase from his grasp. "Hey! Give that back!"

Harper flung the suitcase up, spilling all of the contents out. The twins surveyed each thing that came out.

"Wow! Look at this!" Sarah held a small box. Harper was beside her, marveling the box. Sun's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed it back from her.

"No," He said sternly. Sun put his foot down. This was the only thing that he didn't want anyone to see for the time being. That included the twins.

What he didn't expect was for the two of them to start bawling their eyes out.

"Wah! Sun-san is mean!"

"Sun-san doesn't care about us!" Sarah and Harper cried more loudly, garnering the attention of their mother.

"What's going on over there?" Sun heard her say, footsteps alarming him that she was approaching. He panicked, realizing that he and Moon would get kicked out for making the twins cry.

"Hey hey. Don't cry! I do care about you girls." His words fell deaf in their ears. "Ah! Come on Sun, think fast!" He spotted something right below him. "Here we go!" He grabbed the poké ball beneath him and called out the respective pokémon.

"Wow!" The twins stopped crying when they saw the pokémon in front of them.

It was Ninetales!

"Keep them entertained girl while I pick my stuff up," Sun told his pokémon.

"She's so pretty!" Harper exclaimed, getting on Ninetales back. "Her ears are so fluffy!" She began to pull on Ninetales' ears rather roughly.

"So are her tails!" Sarah yanked the many flowing tails. Ninetales whimpered but still kept her position.

"Girls! Time for breakfast!" Lana's mother called out, smiling at the sight of her daughters playing with the fox pokémon before entering the kitchen.

"Yay!" Harper and Sarah cheered, forgetting about the pokémon in favor of food. They left for the kitchen in a hurry.

"There we go. How'd you hold up Ninetales… woah." Sun blinked, taking in Ninetales new appearance. Her fur was all disheveled and her tails' fur were all over the place. "Hehe. Thanks for taking the fall!" Ninetales growled at Sun. "Okay, I get it!" Sun took out a brush and beckoned her next to him.

"That means you too, Sun!" Lana's mother said. Sun shot Ninetales an apologetic smile.

"I'll fix your fur after breakfast, 'kay?" Ninetales huffed but nodded anyway. Sun walked to the kitchen and took a seat at an empty chair.

Plates of fruit, toast, and eggs were on the table, ready to be eaten.

"This looks great! Thank you ma'am!" Sun started to take as much food as he pleased and scarfed them down quickly. Sarah and Harper stared at him strangely as they ate their own breakfast at a slower pace.

"It makes me happy to see someone enjoy my food so much." She smiled before narrowing her eyes slightly at the twins. "Instead of playing with it as usual."

"Ehehe." The twins laughed nervously. Luckily for them, the embarrassment was passed on to someone else.

"That smells delicious!" Lana's voice said. She came in the kitchen only to tense up when she saw that the only seat left was next to Sun. He hadn't noticed her, still devouring the food.

"Come sit and join us dear." Her mother gestured her to the last seat. Lana sighed in defeat and took her place next to Sun. "There. Isn't that much better?"

"I guess," Lana mumbled, poking her toast a bit.

"So." Her mother decided to start up a conversation. "How's school been lately?"

Lana thought about it. "It has been okay. Sun taught the class yesterday."

Lana's mother quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Dare I say, what was his lesson was about?"

"Trust," Lana answered simply.

"That reminds me." Sun spoke, finishing up his meal. "I got to go do something real quick. I'll probably arrive at school a little late but it's for a pretty important reason!" He got up from the chair and thanked Lana's mother for breakfast before departing from the house with Ninetales by his side.

The table went silent. Lana tried to ignore her mother's smirk.

"He's a keeper." She winked mischievously at her daughter.

"Mom!"

 ** _Later..._**

After the whole fiasco, Lana walked alone to the school and entered the classroom. When she went in she saw that Sophocles, his Togedemaru, and Kiawe were already there.

"Hey Lana!" Sophocles waved happily at her with Kiawe doing the same thing.

"Hey guys!" Lana replied, taking her seat while releasing Popplio out of its poké ball. "And to you too, Popplio!" Popplio barked kindly to its trainer and made itself comfortable on the desk.

"Slow down, Ash!" Next, Ash and Pikachu came barging in the room with an annoyed Mallow in tow.

"Aw man. Sun isn't here yet." Ash glumly headed to his seat.

"What was that all about?" Kiawe asked Mallow.

"Ash here decided that it was a great idea to run the whole way here. He almost knocked me over." She glared at the trial-goer.

"I said I was sorry!" Ash protested, although feeling guilty about his actions. "I was really excited to come to school today and meet up with Sun! He said that we were doing something cool for training today!" He said with excitement in his eyes

"Pika pika!" Pikachu cried out joyfully. It was his turn to get in on some training exercises. The mouse pokémon couldn't wait to have a crack at it, remembering Lycanroc's and Rowlet's progress.

"Right…" Mallow muttered, still harboring her sad demeanor from yesterday's events.

The five students waited patiently for their professor. They enjoyed the company of their pokémon in the meantime. However, twenty minutes have passed and still no signs of the professor were seen.

"I wonder what's taking Professor Kukui so long?" Ash said to no one in particular.

"Not to mention, Lillie hasn't shown up yet either," Kiawe added in, pointing to the empty desk. No one had seen her since she ran off yesterday, leaving them to worry for their friend.

"Maybe Sun's with the professor," Sophocles guessed.

Their answers were soon answered when a superior figure stood at the doorway.

"I'm here students!"

"Oh brother…" Mallow slammed her head to the desk which seemed like a regular occurrence to her.

Sun strolled in the classroom nonchalantly, wearing an oversized lab coat with his Ninetales behind him. He went towards the chalkboard and wrote down: **Mr. Sun.**

"I'm sure you all noticed that your professor isn't here today," Sun started, leaning against the chalkboard. "He's currently busy discussing private matters about the pokémon league with Miss Lusamine. So before he left yesterday, the professor trusted me to take over the class for the rest of the week!"

"The rest of the week!?" They all cried out together, stunned by the news.

"Why yes! The rest of the week with your favorite substitute teacher, Mr. Sun!" He tapped his name on the chalkboard with a pointer. "Since I'm the one with just about as much knowledge as the professor, he selected me to be in charge!" Sun proudly puffed out his chest. "I went to his house earlier to grab a spare lab coat. I must fill in the role of professor seriously."

Sun did an intake of the class and found one student missing.

"I see. So blondie is skipping school? I'm going to have to call her mother after class ends to let her know." Sun whipped out a clipboard from thin air and wrote that reminder down. "That means she's going to miss out on all of the fun."

"Fun?" Ash questioned, half glad and half confused.

"Yes! As your professor for the week I've already planned everything out," Sun replied. "And don't forget about these." Sun motioned over to the shelf with a dozen cones on it.

"Still?" Kiawe sputtered in surprise.

"I hope no one misbehaves while I'm here. But on to more important matters. My lesson for today is to have some fun. Meaning that we can all go to the park and have some bonding time with our pokémon. Snacks and lunch will be covered too so don't you worry about having to bring some of your own!" Sun explained with a grin

The class grew excited for this.

Kiawe spoke up first. "That actually doesn't sound too terrible. I've been meaning to spend some more time with Turtonator and Marowak!"

"Same here!" Ash chimed in. "This is going to be so much fun! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with enthusiasm present in his voice.

"I suppose a little break from school is nice," Lana said meekly while her Popplio clapped its flippers together.

"I guess it'll be fun…" Mallow had a distant look in her eyes. The mention of the park put her on edge. Steenee did her best to cheer up her trainer.

Sophocles grinned deviously. "Yeah! No school work for today!" Turns out, he celebrated a bit too early.

"Here's the catch." Sun's smirk made everyone a bit wary. "Yes, we will go to the park, _if_ you can get past the first part of today."

"First part?" Kiawe dared to ask.

Sun's chuckles turned dark, his teeth became sharp, and he rubbed his hands menacingly.

"For the first part of class I'm giving you a…" He dramatically paused for effect. "Surprise pop quiz!!!"

"What!?" The class had never taken a surprise pop quiz before. That and the topic could be about anything.

"Mwahahaha!" Sun raised his hands in the air and laughed in a sinister manner. A crackle of lightning past him while doing so.

"Yes students, a surprise pop quiz! If you manage to somehow pass my twenty question quiz then you can join me to the trip to the park. You students ought to know you can't show up to school and not learn anything!" He snapped, disappointed that they thought they could get away from schoolwork.

Ash nervously raised his shaking hand. "Wh-what's the quiz on, Mr. Sun?"

"All in due time, Mr. Ketchum," Sun answered before pulling out seven pages of paper. "I woke up early this morning to make this test for you all," He said as he passed each one out, making sure it was blank on the front with the quiz on the other side. "You will have twenty-five minutes to complete this quiz. When I say start you may flip over your sheets," Sun explained, saving the extra quiz paper for later.

"Well… good luck guys," Kiawe croaked anxiously. The others nodded.

"You may start." Sun sat on the floor, brushing Ninetales fur as he waited for the time period to come to an end.

Ash reluctantly flipped the quiz paper over and instantly smiled.

"Mr. Sun!" Kiawe stood from his chair, quiz in hand. "You can't quiz us on this! We haven't covered this at all!"

"Oh?" Sun drawled out. "May I remind you that your professor has taken you to the Kanto region, am I right?"

"Yes, but-"

"So you should all know this information from your trip. You all should've gathered a lot of information about Kanto while you were there." Sun stopped Kiawe from saying anymore. "End of discussion."

Kiawe sighed and slumped back to his chair. He eyed the first question carefully.

 _What is the biggest city in Kanto?_

 _'I'm sure Ash mentioned this before. Saffron City if I'm not mistaking.'_ Kiawe pondered in his head and wrote down his answer.

 _Where can you find the professor's laboratory?_

 _'Pallet Town!'_ Kiawe grinned, delighted that he knew the answers thanks to Ash. His heart almost dropped at the next question.

 _How many pokémon are registered in the Kanto Pokédex?_

 _'Noooo!'_ Kiawe screamed in his head.

Lana answered the next couple of questions with some thought in it. On around question seven did she start to sweat a little.

 _What organization has their headquarters in HopHopHop Town?_

 _'Organization!? Come on Lana! Think! Think!'_

Sophocles wasn't doing so hot either. He was stuck on question six.

 _Which town is known for its haunting legend and its festival which is held at the end of every summer?_

 _'I'll skip that one.'_ His eyes widened at the next question. _'Okay. That one too.'_ He moved on to the next question.

 _Which gym leader specializes in rock-type pokémon?_

 _'That's an easy one. It's Brock!'_ Questions nine and ten also proved to be quite simple.

 _Which gym leader specializes in water-type pokémon?_

 _Pewter City is known for its what geographical features?_

 _'Misty and the mountains!'_ Sophocles smiled before it faltered because of question eleven.

 _How many ice-type pokémon are in Kanto?_

Mallow answered most of the questions with boredom. They weren't all that difficult to begin with considering her knowledge of Kanto that she learned since she was a kid. Truth be told, after listening to Sun talk about his hometown, Mallow grew a sudden interest in the region itself and made it her mission to learn everything there is about Kanto. In the end, it all turned out to be a waste of time after Sun revealed his true self.

' _Just three more questions and I'm all set.'_ She read the next one.

 _The S.S Anne is located in which city?_

Mallow knew the answer right away but didn't move an inch. In fact, she buried her face with her hands and let out a frustrated sigh. The answer to the question brought bitter memories back into her mind.

 _'I'm from Vermilion City!'_

 _'One day, I'm going to go to Vermilion City and see where my parents grew up!'_

 _'When I come back from Vermilion City, I'm bringing a lot of souvenirs for you!'_

 _'I can show you around Vermilion City sometime if you want to come in the future!'_

Mallow decided to take a little break and collect her thoughts.

Ash on the other hand chuckled arrogantly as he was on the final question of the quiz.

 _Name at least eight gym badges._

 _'There's the Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, Soul, Marsh, Volcano, and Earth Badges. Finished!'_ Ash put his pencil down and looked around the classroom. No one else was finished and there was about fifteen minutes left.

"Guess I might as well take it easy," Ash said to himself.

Sun contentedly groomed his Ninetales back to a more suitable appearance. By the time that he was done, the quizzing period was almost finished.

"One more minute left!" Sun held back a snicker when Kiawe started to panic and furiously wrote down answers in a much quicker pace.

"Aaannnd... times up! Put your pencils down." Sun went around the classroom and took up their quizzes. He then found a stand and placed the papers on it. Sun pulled out a pen and began grading the first quiz.

"How did you guys think you do?" Ash asked his friends.

"Enough to pass," Lana replied, a bit disheartened that her grade would be so low but acceptable.

"It wasn't that hard honestly," Mallow said calmly.

"I probably would say the same like Lana." Sophocles wasn't as sure of himself either.

Sun called out to the class, "Finished. I'll hand back your papers now." Kiawe nervously awaited his results, begging not to be the one with the lowest grade.

"Awesome. I got every question correct!" Ash exclaimed, not aware that he was gloating to the class.

"I barely passed," Lana grumbled, glaring at her grade.

"I did a bit better than I thought I would." Sophocles eyed his slightly better grade.

"Noooo!" Kiawe was flabbergasted to see a big giant **F** on his quiz paper. "Not... like... this…" He sulked in defeat.

"What!?" Mallow stood up immediately after seeing her grade. "How did I score a zero!?" She demanded, hatred present in her eyes.

"Yes! I did better than someone else!" Kiawe cheered, high fiving Ash.

Sun pretended not to hear what she said and carried on with the lesson. "That's that. I'm not at all surprised with the results honestly. But hey, not my problem."

"How did I get a zero!? Look! Ash and I have the same exact answers!" Mallow held up the two sheets to prove her claim.

"However, I've just been informed that I can't actually leave a student behind during our day of fun. Thanks Principal Samson…" Principal Samson was at the doorway, giving everyone a thumbs up.

"No problem Sunny boy!" He responded before leaving.

"So, with that in mind we're heading to the park!"

 ** _A minute later..._**

"Miss Lusamine." Sun called Lusamine straight away.

"Yes. What is it Sun? I'm trying to have an important meeting with the professor."

"Lillie never showed up to school. Just thought I'd tell you."

"What!?" Her voice sounded urgent. "My Lillie's skipping class!?"

Sun chuckled darkly and hanged up immediately. "Oh brother. You don't fool me, Lusamine. I'm close to finding out about the real you." Sun tossed the phone to the side.

"For now, you can panic all you want. That'll keep you distracted for a while," Sun said to himself before leaving the school to catch up with the others.

 ** _Afterwards..._**

Sun and his students arrived at the park to see other people enjoying themselves with their pokémon. Sun turned to his class.

"I'll admit, having fun wasn't the only reason I brought you guys here. I wanted to continue our training, Ash."

"Really? In the park?" Ash wasn't on board with the idea of training in public.

"Well since you insisted on not following my usual training methods, this is the next best thing I could come up with in such short time." Sun rolled his eyes at Ash's attitude.

"Sorry," Ash apologized.

"The rest of you can either watch or do whatever. Not any of my concern," Sun dismissed his class without a care.

Lana spoke up. "But a teacher should never leave their students on their own." She flinched when Sun glared at her.

"What's this? You still believe that you can boss me, a teacher, around and defy my orders!? You ought to be punished!" Sun pulled a cone from out of nowhere.

Lana frowned and stared at him desperately. "B-but Sun, we're in public."

"You know the school rules water girl. I even warned you earlier but you just can't seem to follow directions," He said, scribbling something on the cone. He stopped when he felt Lana grab his hand.

"Please…" She begged. Sun turned his head the other way and sighed.

"Fine. But just this once." Kiawe and Mallow were shocked to see Sun give in, especially to Lana. "You owe later, Lana," He whispered to his temporary housemate and proceeded to move forward.

Lana wondered what exactly he meant by that. Nevertheless, Lana, Ash Sophocles, and Kiawe followed Sun while Mallow decided to not tag along.

Seeing Sun and Ninetales together brought Ash to a conclusion.

"Is Pikachu training with Ninetales? I'm sure he'll be glad to have a rematch!"

"Nope. Ninetales just wanted to be out of her poké ball for a while." The group found a nice open area near the playground. He pulled out a poké ball. "You'll be facing my Froslass!" The snow land pokémon stared at her trainer questionably.

"Froslass, huh?" Ash hummed, observing the ice-type pokémon.

"Yep! She's been itching for some action since we got to Alola." Froslass nodded in confirmation. "Just to give you a heads up, there's something special about Froslass that you'll find out later."

The kids at the playground stopped what they were doing and watched the scene curiously.

Ash sent Pikachu forward with Sun doing the same. "Not to sound rude but how will a battle improve Pikachu's skills?"

"Let's just say Pikachu is going to have to get innovative, like from my lesson yesterday that you all failed to understand." He glared at the group.

Ash dug something from his pockets. "But I thought my creation was good. It even won me a Master Ball!" Ash held up the Friend-O-Spoon One-Thousand. Sun felt chills go up his spine as he looked at its creepy beady eyes.

"You still kept that thing?" Sun snatched the _creative_ spoon from Ash. "Begone!" He threw it as far as he could.

"Nooo!" Ash fell to his knees, tears in the corners of his eyes.

The eerie spoon landed smack dead center of the playground. The children screamed, bolting away from the creation.

"I see what you mean now." Ash blinked, getting back to his feet. Pikachu sweatdropped at his trainer's oblivious side.

"Yadda yadda," Sun blabbed, annoyed. "Let's just get this battle started."

Ash grinned confidently, eager to find out what challenge awaits him and his Pikachu.

"Right! Here we go!"

 **Ash vs. Sun!**

"I sure do hope Ash is prepared for Froslass," Sophocles said with Lana nodding in agreement.

Kiawe switched his attention to his two friends. "What do you mean? I haven't seen Sun battle with Froslass at all," He admitted.

"That probably because she's one of his strongest pokémon. Potentially the strongest!"

"Even stronger than his Decidueye!?" Kiawe exclaimed with shock.

"Crazy, right? Sun puts Froslass on hold and only uses her for his important battles!" Sophocles replied, gazing at Froslass with astonishment.

"Froslass has this thing that makes her turn the tides of the battle!" Lana added in. Ash looked like he was about to say the first move. "And Ash is about to learn why!"

"Pikachu, start it off with Iron Tail!" Ash commanded. Pikachu sprinted towards Froslass and jumped to the air. His tail transformed into a steel gray and he slammed it directly on Froslass' head.

"Alright! Nice shot!" Ash's celebrated too soon. Not only did the attack have no effect, Froslass and Pikachu's body was surrounded by a dark aura. The mouse pokémon was temporarily stuck in a trance.

"What!?" Ash gasped. "It can't be! Froslass has-"

"Cursed Body as her ability," Sun finished for him. "Neat, eh?"

Ash examined his Pikachu to see if he was alright. Memories flashed through his mind, remembering that one of his past rival's pokémon had the same ability. Thankfully, Pikachu snapped out of it and took a few steps back.

"What happened?" Kiawe asked, not knowing what the deal with the dark aura was all about.

"Froslass has the ability, Cursed Body. If the opponent inflicts any physical damage to the user with one of its moves, then that particular move is disabled!" Sophocles informed him.

"Is that even allowed?" Kiawe thought that it was a bit unfair to do that.

"It is. Which is precisely why she can be Sun's strongest pokémon. Froslass' attacks are also pretty powerful!"

Froslass glanced at Pikachu and taunted him by flailing her arms around. Naturally, Pikachu took offense to that. So did Ash.

"Hey!"

Sun raised his hand defensively. "Don't look at me. I didn't tell her to do that!"

Lana huffed and crossed her arms. "But you did teach her."

Ash contemplated on what his next move should be. It was clear to him that using Quick Attack was out of the picture. That left him with Thunderbolt and the recently learned move, Electroweb. He wasn't sure in Pikachu's ability to use the new move, especially with an opponent like Froslass.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" In the end, Ash decided to see how Froslass would counter the attack. He was more stupefied to see Froslass take in the Thunderbolt.

"Froslass is tough! It's going to take a lot more than that to weaken her," Sun told Ash before revealing his first move. "Get closer to Pikachu!" Froslass floated closer to Pikachu.

"Keep your eye on Froslass!" Pikachu nodded and kept his guard up, prepared for anything that could come his way.

"Go in for Draining Kiss!" Froslass hovered towards Pikachu and winked at him before placing a small kiss on his right rosy cheek. Pikachu's eyes were filled with hearts and he let out a happy coo. A yellow wave of energy burst out of Pikachu and came to Froslass.

"Quick while Pikachu's distracted, Ominous Wind!"

"Snap out of it!" Ash yelled, hoping to catch his pokémon's attention. Pikachu managed to shake it off and just barely dodged the incoming gust of wind. "Fake Froslass out by pretending to do Quick Attack," He said quiet enough for Sun not to overhear him.

"Pika! Pi! Pi!" Pikachu charged at Froslass as best as he could. The Draining Kiss winded out Pikachu's energy, causing him to go a bit slower than usual.

"Nice try! Powder Snow!" Sun figured out Ash's plan from experience. Froslass put her hands forward and blasted an array of snow to Pikachu.

"Not this time! Use Thunderbolt to get rid of the snow!" Pikachu charged up his electricity and shot it at the snow which disintegrated quickly.

 _'Drats. He's ready for most of my attacks. Guess I have to play dirty'_

Sun was an honest trainer for the most part. Although, it wasn't like he hadn't done dirty tactics before. He liked winning. Maybe a bit too much.

"Ahhhh!!!!" Sun suddenly screamed, horror present in his eyes. Just about everyone jumped at the level of his voice.

"W-what?" Ash asked nervously.

"L-look!!!" Sun pointed forward. Ash and Pikachu turned around to see what the commotion was all about. Even Sophocles, Lana, and Kiawe fell for it.

"Now! Ominous Wind!" Froslass pumped her arms forward and the dark colored gust of wind blew past the distracted Pikachu.

"Oh no!" Ash realized his mistake but it was already too late. Pikachu was lifted up to the air from the Ominous Wind.

"Hit him with a Shadow Ball!" Froslass conjured up a dark purple sphere with her hands and launched it at Pikachu. The attack caused Pikachu to fly back from the impact.

"Pikachu!" Ash mentally scolded himself for falling for Sun's tricks. How was he suppose to become a better trainer if he can't focus on the battle? He didn't want to let Sun down by wasting his time training him. His eyes shifted towards Pikachu, who was struggling to stand. This training was for Pikachu. It was about time to get serious, even if it wasn't an official battle.

Sun crossed his arms together, readying up his z-move. "Ice ice baby! Stay cool for our ultimate attack!" He thrusted his hands forward and passed over the power to Froslass.

Ash narrowed his eyes and found out what he should do. Pikachu made it back to his feet and skidded closer to Ash. The two nodded understanding what they want to do without saying anything. He did a X formation with his arms and repeated the action. His z-power ring flickered brightly.

"Woah! Ash's z-crystal changed forms!" Kiawe distinctly remembered this happening a few days ago. What was Ash up to?

Ash caught this in the corner of his eye and smirked. A quickly placed his hat on Pikachu's head. "Stronger than a Thunderbolt's one hundred thousand volts… one million volts! No, even bigger than that! Our super full power!" Ash and Pikachu bumped fists and faced their opponent. The mouse pokémon enveloped himself with cackling electricity. Dark clouds loomed above them.

A large chunk of ice came from under the ground and brought the snow land pokémon up a few feet. Moments later, the ice increased tremendously and Froslass was higher up than the height of a nearby tree.

The two trainers shouted together.

"Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt!!!"

"Subzero Slammer!!!"

Froslass unleashed a gigantic ray of freezing ice and aimed it at Pikachu. Pikachu released seven multi-colored bolts of electricity, each representing a color of the rainbow. He made sure to direct it to Froslass.

The two z-powered moves clashed with each other, fighting for dominance. Flashes of lightning appeared over it.

"Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pi! Pi!" Pikachu cried out, forcing more power into the z-move.

Froslass grunted, for the first time ever she felt a little on edge of the outcome. She put in more power as well. Several seconds later, Subzero Slammer began to trudge forward.

"Come on, Pikachu! I know you can do it!" Ash urged Pikachu to give it his all.

"Don't give up!" Sun bellowed.

Ash further complimented his pokémon. "It's all you, Pikachu! You got this in the bag!"

A shiny twinkle passed through Pikachu eyes. With the new found power, Pikachu let out one final battle cry and used every single ounce of strength he had left.

"Impossible!" Sun gasped when Pikachu's z-move overpowered Froslass' in a matter of seconds. Froslass knew this battle was over and closed her eyes, accepting defeat. The Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt crashed into Froslass, a powerful ray of electricity blasting all over the area.

"Gah!" Sun dived down, the force was strong enough to make him panic.

Ten seconds later, the bright yellow light of electricity cleared through. The results were in.

"Froslass!" Sun watched as his pokémon fell from her tall structure with a heavy thud. A set of swirly eyes can be seen on her face.

"Pikachu!" The mouse pokémon tumbled to the ground. "Come on buddy!" Pikachu raised his arms weakly and pushed himself up with his tail.

"Pika…" Pikachu felt a stinging pain in his body, due to putting a lot of strain in his body. His vision was getting hazy. But, he shook it off, proudly kept his chin up, and smiled.

 **Winner - Ash!**

Kiawe, Lana, and Sophocles were speechless. The sheer power from the two pokémon exceeded their expectations.

"Cool!" Sophocles exclaimed.

"So strong!" Lana squeaked.

"Ash finally beat Sun…" Kiawe muttered.

"Awesome!" Ash cheered, rushing over to Pikachu. The electric-type let Ash carry him in his arms, wanting to rest up.

"You did good, Froslass. There's your first loss as your final evolution form." Sun returned Froslass back into her poké ball. He walked over to Ash and held out his hand.

"Good battle?"

"For sure!" Ash rapidly shook his hand, unknowingly making Sun's whole form move up and down. Their friends huddled them, speaking over each other.

"Uhh… guys." Sun grabbed their attention and pointed to the dumbfounded spectators. "We have a guest." An Officer Jenny popped out from the crowd and frowned at the trainers.

"Look at this mess you two made! Who's going to clean it all up!?" She practically fumed with fury. A moment of silence dawned upon the five. She was right, the power of the two z-moves colliding caused most of the area to lose its appeal.

"Look at the time! I got a class to teach!" Sun took Lana's hand and pushed her on top of Ninetales. He too got on top of the fox pokémon. "Get us out of here!" Ninetales bolted away from the scene with her trainer and a screaming Lana.

"Hmph!" Officer Jenny now stared down at the remaining three students.

Kiawe gulped, not wanting to get in trouble. He almost slammed his poké ball to the ground. "Charizard, fly away!" In a blink of an eye, Kiawe pushed Sophocles to his ride pokémon and the two flew to the direction that Sun and Lana headed off to.

"Umm… hehe." Ash didn't dare to meet her eye. He had to come up with a plan and fast. His initial thoughts came back to what occurred during his battle with Sun.

"Ahhhhh!!!!!" Ash screamed, making the officer jump back.

"What is it now!?"

"Look!!!" Ash pointed behind her. The second that she turned around, Ash vanished with a trail of smoke left behind.

Office Jenny facepalmed. "I'm losing my touch."

 ** _At the playground..._**

Mallow moped around on the swing set the entire time. This day of _'fun'_ brought nothing but stinging memories to her. Her Steenee did her best to cheer her up but to no avail.

The green haired girl gazed over at the slide filled with ecstatic children.

 _'Haha! Don't push me Sun! That's an awful thing to do!'_

 _'Only because you pushed me last time we came here!'_

Mallow's vision consisted of her and Sun's younger selves trying to push each other off the slide. Yes it was pretty dangerous but their little minds only cared about having fun. She shook her head and the image of the random children on the slide came back.

"Come on Mallow, stop remembering!" She said to herself, not knowing how crazy she appeared to the people around her. Her eyes wandered away from the slide to the sandbox.

 _'Take that you loser!'_

 _'No! My sand castle! I hate you, you meanie! You're the worst!'_

 _'Oh yeah!? I never want to see you again!'_

That didn't mean it was all happy memories. They had their share of fights too. That particular memory happened when Mallow got a little jealous of how Sun's castles were doing better than hers and that he'd rub it in her face. In the end, their dads brought them together and the two reconciled. Their most recent fight has lasted for almost a year now and it's still going on strong.

"Dads…" Now she felt awful. Just remembering Sun's dad made a pain shoot across her chest. He did really play a big part in her childhood life. "Stupid sandbox!" The monkey bars were next on her path to nostalgia.

 _'Yay! I finally completed the monkey bars!'_

 _'That's because you really are a monkey, you dolt.'_

"Grrr… is everything here going to make me think about him." To avoid looking at any other set of playground equipment, she stared down at the swing's seat.

 _'Push me bigger! All the way to the Sun! Tee-hee!'_

 _'Geez, you couldn't make a more awful joke.'_

"That's it!" Mallow got off the swing and stormed off. Not even a minute later did she feel something bump into her.

"Mallow! Bzzt!" It was Rotom and it had a frantic expression on its screen.

"H-hey," She greeted glumly.

"Where's everyone else!? No one was at school when I got there! Bzzt!"

"We're having our day of fun," She replied sarcastically. "What's the hurry anyway?"

Rotom buzzed alarmingly. "I was trying to find you guys so I went digging through Sun's house first since the window was shattered and I found this!" He showed her a picture he snapped of whatever he was talking about.

It was a note.

Rotom zoomed in so she could read it better.

It read:

 **Suspect List** **(Ordered highest to lowest)**

 **Lusamine**

 **Nanu**

Giovanni

Professor Kukui

Faba

 **Acerola**

 **Wickie**

Principal Samson

Mallow read the names, confusion setting its course.

"Suspect list? For what?"

"That's the thing. Bzzt! I'm not sure but it has the name of some of our friends on it!" Rotom beeped.

"But some of them are crossed out," She pointed out the crossed names. "The only ones that aren't crossed out are Lusamine, Professor Kukui, Nanu, Acerola, and… Giovanni?" She didn't recognize the last name. "What does this mean?"

"That's not all that I found!" Rotom cut her thinking process off. "Check it out!" Rotom switched over to another picture. This time it was a photograph that was taken before Sun's final trial. Just about everyone they knew was in it. What made her pale as white as a ghost was the words beside each of them. She read a few of them.

 **Olivia - Barely knows me**.

 **Hapu - Just recently met her**.

 **Hala -** **Not likely.**

 **Hau -** **Impossible.**

 **Lana - Couldn't have done it; too** **weak.**

 **Professor Kukui - Possible suspect. Seems to want to know a lot about** **me.**

 **Gladion - Not likely; brother of Lillie**.

 **Lillie - Wouldn't hurt a fly**.

 **Nanu - Most likely. Knows more than he lets on.**

 **Acerola - Possible accomplice to Nanu.**

 **Sophocles - Too innocent**.

 **Kiawe - Too busy to even commit the action.**

 **Lusamine - Top of the chart. Be very wary of her, don't trust her act.**

What frightened Mallow the most was the description of her.

 **Mallow - On thin ice. Too distant around me since then. Could've done the deed.**

Mallow started to panic. What was this supposed to mean!? Who are these suspects for? Why was she almost a candidate? How was Lusamine the number one suspect and shouldn't be trusted?

"You see why I was in a hurry now? Sun could very well be trouble! I have to tell the others!" Rotom frantically floated away until it was stopped by Mallow.

"You can't! If you do then they'll surely confront Sun about it! He'll execute whatever he has going on here before we even know what's going on."

Rotom hesitated but understood the warning. "We'll have to keep this to ourselves! Bzzt! But we're going to have to find more evidence before we expose him."

"Did you find anything else important?" She questioned.

Rotom went to the next picture that showed Sun and his pokémon. Mallow had seen this countless times and wondered why Rotom pulled it up and deemed it important.

"See right there! There's something behind Sun that I can't identify. It has to be a rare pokémon!" Rotom pointed to the looming shadow behind Sun. Mallow inched closer, surprised that this was her first time seeing this.

Suddenly, a huge explosion came from their right. It downright scared everyone in the area. An Officer Jenny was speeding through the area on her vehicle.

"What's that all about!? Bzzt!" Rotom soared higher to get a better view. Mallow said nothing, instead finding herself joining the mob of curious people in the spot where the explosion took place. There, she saw Ash, Sophocles, and Kiawe being scolded by Officer Jenny.

Her eyes widened when Ash, Sophocles, and Kiawe escaped the scene, prompting her to follow her friends.

"The others went this way! Come on, Rotom!"

 ** _Back with the others..._**

"Wah!" Sun rolled off of Ninetales and onto the ground. They were a good distance away from the park. Sun regained his composure and checked on Lana.

"Why did we run away from an officer!? Oh, she knows my face now! She'll arrest me for sure once she sees me again!" Lana panicked, not used to getting into trouble. She hugged Ninetales' barrel for comfort.

"Relax Lana. Ash, Sophocles, and Kiawe are there. They'll take responsibility for sure," Sun assured her. Just then, Kiawe came from out of nowhere and face planted to the ground.

"Phew! Escaped just in time," He wheezed. Charizard huffed and gracefully landed next to him. Sophocles stayed glued to Charizard. Having to ride one while also flying at top speed was quite exhilarating for the short boy.

"Okay. Ash will." Sun couldn't have been more wrong. Ash came running from a distance. "This is bad."

Ash caught up with his friends and panted heavily. "Why'd you all leave me by myself?!?!" He demanded angrily.

"No way I was going to clean that mess up! That's way too much work!" Sun explained his reasoning.

"I can't go to jail!" Lana whimpered.

"How come you didn't stay there, Ash? Now we're in trouble for sure!" Kiawe accused Ash of sealing their fate as criminal trainers.

"But Sun and Lana ran away first!" Ash defended himself.

"I'm already on bad terms with the popo! Plus, Lana's too innocent to get in trouble with the law. I mean look at her! She's a mess!" True to Sun's word, Lana was shaking rapidly on top of Ninetales. The fox pokémon didn't like having to deal with emotional people using her as support.

"So if any one of us were to get in trouble then it'll be you, Sun!" Kiawe declared.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed with his friend.

"But it was Ash's Pikachu that did that much damage in the first place!" Sun angrily countered.

"That's right. It was Pikachu's z-move that did it!" Kiawe and Sun faced the trial-goer and electric-type pokémon maliciously.

"N-no… b-but I-I.." Ash was cornered two against one. "Woah! There's Tapu Koko right there!" When the two had their backs turned, Ash sped forward to a random direction. Most likely to hide from his friends and the police.

"Rats. Fell for my own trick!" Sun snapped his fingers. "Come on Lana, it'll all be okay," He consoled the shaken girl.

"Yeah. We'll figure it out somehow." Kiawe ignored the fact that he went on to what Sun said.

Lana's shaking lessened slightly at Sun's touch. But, she remained frightened.

"I know what'll cheer you up! I'll be right back with it!" Sun left the three to search for what he was looking for.

"Sun's being awfully nice to Lana today." Kiawe pursed his lips suspiciously as he watched Sun leave.

 ** _With Sun..._**

"There should be something around here that we can eat." Sun surveyed the places around him. Most were just stores that sold electronics and clothing. He wished that they were closer to Aina's Kitchen.

 _'Then again. I should take Moon there. Abe promised her a free meal. Maybe I can squeeze my way in that deal too.'_

Sun spotted what seemed to be a food truck colored pink. There, there was a Wobbuffet and a Kantonian Meowth wearing a pink bow tie, a pink shirt, and black suspenders. They wore a hat that resembled the head of a Bewear. It appeared that they were advertising for their business.

"Might have potential." Sun decided to check the truck out and jogged to it.

"Malasadas! Freshly baked and yummy! They are the best in Alola!" Sun's jaw dropped at the talking Meowth. That made him want to visit the truck more.

"Salutations!" Sun greeted. The Meowth was generally surprised to see him there. Wobbuffet had his mouth wide open, also surprised.

"Oh! Yes, hello there!" The Meowth jumped up to the ledge of the truck's window. "Jessie! James! We have a customer!" Immediately, two heads poked out from the window. One was a woman with pink hair and she was dressed in colors that resembled a Bewear. Finally, there was a man with lavender hair and the same set of clothes.

"Oh. It's just a brat," The woman called Jessie grumbled before slumping back down on her chair.

The man called James glared at his co-worker. "A paying customer is a paying customer." He eyed Sun suspiciously. "You are a paying customer, right?"

"Of course!" Sun pulled out a big wad of pokédollars from his pocket. "Why would I come here empty-handed?"

Jessie sniffed the air, recognizing the smell of money and hopped from her seat. Dollar signs glimmered within her eyes.

"A brat with a lot of money? Well that's different!" Her smile nerved Sun quite a lot.

"Brat!?" Sun inquired, offended. "Maybe I should take my services elsewhere."

"Jessie!" James and the Meowth growled at her.

"My apologies kind sir!" Jessie politely apologized, though it sounded a bit forced. ""We got off on the wrong foot. Say, what's your name, kid?"

"Sun!" Sun introduced himself brightly.

"Sun? What a stupid-er I mean stupendous name!" Jessie chuckled. "My name's Jessie."

"James."

"Meowth, that's the name!"

"Wobbuffet!" The four exclaimed pridefully. Sun had the feeling they practiced this multiple times.

"Your food truck is pretty creative. Why the Bewear theme?"

Jessie gritted her teeth. She wasn't in any mood for questions. She hungrily eyed the stack of money in Sun's hand. But she was going to suck it up if she wanted him to buy something.

"We've had a couple of run-ins with a Bewear. It has helped us many times so that's pretty much why," James replied. He was more tolerant with kids than Jessie.

"Interesting. Whatcha got to sell here?"

Meowth humbly presented their product. "It's something you're sure to love! Honey Malasadas!" He allowed James to pick one out and placed a napkin under it.

"Hmm." Sun took the Malasada from James and inspected it like a professional judge. "Smells wonderful. The texture seems perfect. I'm sure the taste will be excellent!" Sun handed James a couple pokédollars and took a huge bite out of the Malasada. His sparkled and scarfed down the rest of the Malasada.

"Absolutely delicious! I'll take ten!" Sun wanted to bring some to everyone else and then save some for Moon and the twins later.

"Ten?! James, cook up some more this instant!" She demanded her co-worker as she grabbed more money off of Sun. She counted the stack, squealing because of their success.

"So, you talk?" Sun always wanted to have a conversation with a talking pokémon.

"Yep! You're looking at the one and only!" Meowth boasted arrogantly. Jessie whacked him in the head.

"Don't get too full of yourself."

"But he should!" Sun cut in, a grin on his face. "That means you can translate what other pokémon say, right?" Meowth nodded, confirming Sun's belief. "That's so cool! A lot of people would pay money to know what their pokémon thinks about them!"

"You might be on to something," Meowth responded, intrigued with the idea.

"I'll help you get started. You there!" Sun shouted to a man in a suit. He had an Eevee with him.

"What is it youngling?"

"Do you want to hear what your pokémon has to say about you? Look no further. This Meowth can translate whatever your Eevee has to say about you! Only costs three pokédollars!"

The man laughed. "Sure, why not." He handed Sun the money, which he passed to Jessie. "Go on Eevee, what do you want to evolve to?"

"Vee!"

"Eevee says she wants to evolve into a Leafeon!" Meowth translated with ease. Eevee smiled and bounced up and down.

"That's incredible! A talking translating Meowth! Thanks a bunch! Let's go find you a Moss Rock, Eevee!" The pair left and Sun smirked deviously.

"You can also have some fun with it. Hey, lady!" Sun waved his hand at a lady dressed fancily. A Furfrou was with her.

"What can I help you with, lad?" She asked.

"Want to see what your Furfrou thinks about you? This Meowth right here can tell ya! Only five pokédollars." Sun bumped up the price seeing her in such a formal attire.

The woman patted her Furfrou's head softly. "I don't see why not." Sun gave Jessie the money and whispered something into Meowth's ear. "Furfrou, what do you think of your new look?"

"Furfrou! Fur!"

Meowth gasped, horrified. "Why, Furfrou here says he hates it! He was thinking of running away by how awful it is!"

It was the lady's turn to gasp. "What!? We have to go back to the groomer right now. You're a lifesaver!" The woman carried Furfrou in a hurry. Sun and Meowth started cackling when Furfrou glared at them.

"That was amusing," Meowth admitted. He liked Sun's idea of telling false translations.

"Here you go Sunny boy!" James handed him a tray full of Honey Malasadas. They were covered with aluminum foil to keep it warm.

"Thanks!" Sun picked up the tray and was about to leave until someone caught his attention.

"The rumors are true! Sun's back in Alola!" A random man exclaimed.

"It's the boy that completed all his trials! He can still become our champion!"

"He bought something from that food truck. If he thinks its good then we should try it too!" A horde of people started running towards Sun.

"Ah! Fans!" Sun yelped and got away from there as fast as he could.

Jessie, James, and Meowth watched him leave, confused. But that confusion vanished when the crowd of people stopped by their truck.

"I'll have what Sun had!"

"Me too!"

"Me three!" The people waved their money in the air. Jessie squealed, loving the attention that their food truck was getting.

"Get to it, James!"

"Right!" James didn't complain about her bossing him around. He'd do the same in the exact situation.

"Yes! Think of all the things we can buy after this! We can finally afford everything we desire!" In a rare moment, Jessie hugged James, too overwhelmed with joy.

Meowth on the other hand was curious as to why this happened. "Why were you all happy that Sun was here?" He asked one of the customers.

"Don't you know? Sun's pretty popular here! He was on his way of becoming champion of Alola before he mysteriously disappeared. Now that he's back, we can have the champion that can represent Alola!" He answered excitingly.

Jessie stopped hugging James and had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Almost became a champion you say? That would've made him the youngest one yet. To think that a powerful well-known trainer came here." Jessie, James, and Meowth exchanged knowing glances.

"We have to keep him under our eye next time."

 ** _Several minutes later..._**

When Sun got back to the spot that he left his friends at, Mallow, Ash and Rotom were there too. He ignored Mallow's glare and showed them the treats.

"I brought food. Enjoy." Everyone grabbed a Malasada. Kiawe got two and handed one to Mallow.

"What took you so long?" Sophocles questioned, taking a bite out of his Honey Malasada.

"Fans," Was all that Sun said.

"I'm surprised you still have fans," Lana blurted out without thinking about what she said. Sun felt a pang of hurt strike his chest. Lana dropped her Malasada and covered her mouth with both hands. Her face flared bright red.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" She stammered.

Sun forced a smile. "It's alright. I thought they'd forget about me by now too." Sun noticed Lana stare at her Malasada on the ground sadly. "Here's an extra." Sun tossed her another Malasada.

"Huh?" Lana failed to see the toss and another Malasada was on the ground. "I'm so sorry Sun!"

Sun rolled his eyes. "I guess you can have mine then. I already ate one." Instead of throwing it, Sun handed her the treat instead.

"Th-thanks." Lana hung her head low to hide her embarrassment and took small bites out of her Honey Malasada.

The six were silent after that, eating their Malasadas in peace. Kiawe was still suspicious of Sun and kept his eye on him. Mallow and Rotom were as stiff as a statute, not knowing what to do with their primary target right there.

"So, Ash. I was thinking." Everyone listened on to what Sun was going to say. "After that battle today, you proved to me that you were a lot stronger than I thought."

Ash beamed from the compliment. "That's good to hear."

"And I've decided that you're having your rematch against Nanu tomorrow," Sun announced.

Ash reeled his head back. "Huh? But I thought we'd train again tomorrow and have the rematch the next day!"

Sun shifted uncomfortably. "I did but I have some… stuff to attend to Friday. That is if you want me to come."

"Of course. I want to show you how your training payed off during my rematch," Ash answered honestly. "But what are you doing Friday?"

"I'm afraid that's something I'm keeping to myself." Sun tugged the collar of his crimson shirt nervously. Mallow and Rotom looked at each other and nodded.

"When do we leave?" Ash dropped the question knowing that he shouldn't try to push Sun's buttons.

"First thing in the morning. Six o'clock sharp!"

Ash groaned, "Why so early?"

"So we can squeeze in one more training session before your rematch against Nanu." Sun switched back and forth to the others. "That said. School is cancelled for the rest of the week."

"So much for teacher of the year," Kiawe mused.

"Anyone is welcome to come with us tomorrow. If not, you can stay here and enjoy yourselves and whatnot." Sun waited to hear their answers.

"I'll stay. I'm going to make some deliveries in the meantime," Kiawe said to his friends rather than Sun.

"Same here. Except I want to work on one of my inventions," Sophocles answered.

Lana weakly smiled. "I guess I will g-"

"I'm coming," Mallow interjected, her voice firm. "You've taken enough shifts Lana. It's my go," She whispered to her blue haired friend.

"O-oh. Right." Lana was disappointed that she was going to stay at Melemele Island. She had forgotten that they agreed to keep an eye on Sun whenever he's around Ash. Not that Lana was wary of Sun anymore.

"Ash might need me soo… bzzt!" Rotom made up a poor excuse.

Sun mentally moaned, not liking the company so far. "Then it's settled. I'm bringing Moon along if you don't mind, Ash. I want her to see what Alola can offer."

"No problem," Ash replied. With their plans set and their food finished, he had one question. "What now? It's still the afternoon."

Before Sun had the chance to respond, an angry female voice shouted at the group.

"There you five troublemakers are!" It was Officer Jenny and boy did she look furious. "Come back here this instant!"

"Scatter!" Sun and Lana got on Ninetales and let her take them away. "To Lana's house! We can hang around the ocean until the day is over!" He gave the directions before they took off.

"You heard him, Charizard!" Kiawe and Sophocles were next to escape via flying.

"What?" Mallow face of bewilderment reminded Ash that she didn't know what was going on.

"Run!" He grabbed her wrist and darted away with an equally perplexed Rotom.

"Darn it!" Officer Jenny threw her hat to the ground. "I wonder if Abe's still hiring..."

 ** _Yesterday at the Police Station..._**

Sun was inside the police station. He found out that Jenercocio was in a different police station on another island so the Officer Jenny let him call the crook via telephone.

"What is it kid? Can't you see you already ruined my life?"

"Let me cut to the chase, Jenercocio. We both share something in common. We want revenge."

The line went silent for a few seconds. "Go on..."

"I want answers. In return, I can put in a good word for you a lighten your sentence. I know you want this just as much as I do."

"That's debatable." Sun rolled his eyes, unamused with his jokes.

"Your team is acquainted with most connections across the entire world. You ran into several others organizations too."

"Hm..." Jenercocio hummed thoughtfully.

"You must know about the organization in Kanto. Don't even try to deny it." Sun was certain of this.

"You caught me. Team Rocket if I'm not mistaken. Why does a good egg like you possibly want from them?"

"I want to know about one of their top members. Tell me the truth about Nanu."

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Long Author's Note: I didn't fulfill my word by saying that there will be two chapter weekly updates last week. I could make up some excuse about being busy or something but I was just lazy. That's it. I don't really know if Z- moves can be used at the same time or not since it hasn't been attempted in the anime. Correct me if you want. Also, Team Rocket just arrived from getting the z-ring and crystal from Ula'ula Island, hence why they're present in the chapter. No Ash meant they didn't have a reason to stay. Next chapter will go back on track with the anime but with Mallow, Sun, and Moon in the mix. I'll try to get a chapter in before next week. Maybe. Stay tuned._**


	9. Ash's Second Chance: Part One

**_Author's Note: I decided to make this into two parts because I didn't want to put too much into one chapter. Hence why this is one of my shorter chapters. This chapter mainly focuses on Sun's development so don't expect Ash's training results until next chapter. It's a bit dull to read background info but it'll lead to some big changes that Sun will bring now that he's in the mix. I'm a bit worried that people won't like this chapter because of that. Acerola and Nanu will play a part in this. As usual, hope you enjoy the chapter._**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

It was the following morning. Yesterday, the group of friends hanged out by Lana's house and spent their day out in the water. Moon had joined them an hour later, pushing Sun to the ocean because he left her alone the whole day. Eventually everyone went back home with Ash and Sun agreeing to meet up at six o'clock at the Marina.

Sun awoke with a yawn and lazily scratched his back. He smacked his alarm clock off the drawer and pulled himself out of the covers.

"The real challenge is how to get Moon out of bed without making her angry," Sun groaned. It was too early for all this thinking. He made his way to the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Sun was fully dressed and ready to conquer the world. Metaphorically of course. Maybe.

Sun inched closer to Lana's room and paused. How was he suppose to go into a girl's room without making it appear weird? Sure he was just trying to wake up Moon but still. He slowly creaked the door open and peaked his head in. As expected, Moon was deep in sleep. Her alarm clock beeping loudly, thought Moon wasn't bothered by it at all.

"Hmm… Sunny..." Moon grumbled in her sleep, cuddling her Squirtle plush tighter. "Don't leave me…"

Sun's features softened and he considered to go in and comfort her.

"You forgot to give me some money…" She finished, unintentionally causing Sun to frown deeply.

"Figures," Sun chuckled. His eyes wandered over to Lana, who was starting to stir because of the annoying beeping sounds of the alarm clock. She sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

Sun ignored this for now and walked towards the extra mattress that Moon slept on. He crouched down so that he was at the same level as her. Sun gently shook her shoulder.

"Moon. It's time to get up." Unbeknownst to Sun, his face was closer to Moon's than he thought. He sighed frustratingly when Moon wasn't budging. His whole body flinched when he heard a sharp gasp coming from behind him.

"S-sun!" Lana clasped her hands over her mouth. Her face shined a bright rosy red. Sun realised how misleading his position was a reeled back.

"I-I promise this isn't what it looks like!" Sun defended, raising his hands to the air. "I'm just trying to wake up Moon, nothing more!"

Lana still seemed unsure but calmed down for the most part. She pushed the covers off her bed, revealing her pajamas.

"Let me help you." Lana politely asked Sun to move to the side and hovered above Moon. Her face as stoic as any person who's been awakened early. She lifted one of her hands to the air and pushed it down, slapping Moon as painfully as she could.

"Yow!!!" Moon screamed. She rubbed her cheek, tears in the corners of her eyes.

Sun gaped at Lana. "You didn't have to do that!" To his horror, Lana shrugged carelessly and gave him her excuse.

"It works for the twins whenever they try to sleep in," She said so calmly.

"Even the twins!?" Lana, the most innocent girl he's ever met turned out to be a mad slapper, even to her siblings. He couldn't tell if it was one of her infamous sick jokes. Either way, Sun couldn't look at her the same ever again. Sun wouldn't admit out loud, but he started to fear her just a tiny bit.

"It hurts!" Moon whined. The pain wasn't going away anytime soon. Seeing her in pain made Sun's heart drop. He caringly helped her soothe the pain with a hand of his own.

"It's alright, Moon." His words were all Moon needed for her to stop whimpering. She leaned into his touch and sighed contentedly.

"Hmm…" Lana pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She smacked Sun behind his head, making him fall on top of Moon.

"Gah! What the heck, Lana!?" Lana didn't respond. She went back to her bed and had her back against the two.

Sun picked himself up and sighed, "I already hate this day and it has barely begun." Sun tossed the covers off of Moon. "Get up sleepy head. We got to go to the Marina in half an hour."

"Five more minutes..." Moon drawled out. She lazily emersed her face in her pillow.

"Fine. I'll just go without you. You can stay here and deal with Lana and the twins." Sun made his way out the door and Moon zipped past him and made a beeline to the bathroom. "Thought so." Sun smirked, proud that his plan had worked.

"Sweet dreams, water girl," Sun said as he closed the door to Lana's bedroom.

Lana shifted herself so that she was laying on her back. She stared at the ceiling with one thought on her mind.

"Why did he call me water girl?"

 ** _Afterwards..._**

"Sunny… I want to go back to sleep!" Sun sweared that that was the tenth time she said that during the trip to the Marina. "I'm hungry!" He growled, irritated by her complaints.

"You can sleep and eat when we get on the ship. Now pipe down!" Sun was literally dragging her the whole way there. Moon wasn't making it any easier to his already dreadful morning. "See. There's the Marina. Let's just get on the ship and find you a bed. We'll wait until Ash and green get there."

Moon giggled tiredly. "Green? Haha. Just like spinach!" She started to laugh obnoxiously. Sun was really regretting letting her tag along for the trip.

"Yes, like the spinach." Sun rolled his eyes. He was more used to Moon's behavior due to traveling with her for months. Most people would've ditched her by now because of it. But Sun, poor Sun had the pleasure of becoming Moon's best friend. More like she forced him to, not that he minded after some time passed. He had gotten used to her and found her a very interesting friend than any of the other ones he made back in Alola.

A few minutes rolled by and the two made it to the Marina. Sun boarded the ship to Ula'ula Island and dumped Moon to the first bedroom they came across. She instantly fell asleep when her body hit the bed.

"Whatever." Sun dumped her favorite plush toy next to her and pulled out a Switch that Sophocles lent him from his yellow backpack and began messing with it.

About fifteen minutes have passed and Sun furiously threw the Switch to the wall.

"I hate this game!!!" Sun roared, taking several deep breaths to calm his rage. "Bah. Good thing it's indestructible." Sun gazed over at the clock and found that the ship was due to go in one more minute.

"Where the heck is Ash?!" Sun raced out of the room and ran to the deck. There, he saw Ash and Mallow running as if a wild pack of Tauros was chasing them. Rotom was much faster than them and made it on the deck via flying.

"Last call for Ula'ula Island!" The captain of the ship announced. This made Ash trip and Mallow having to help him up.

"Almost there!" Ash and Mallow barely got on the ship in time. The ship took off immediately after they got on. Pikachu looked on with worry as his trainer and Mallow collapsed to the floor.

"What the heck Ash? You almost missed the ship!" Sun berated the tardy trainer.

Ash rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "Sorry. I guess I overslept a little." Sun facepalmed at Ash's excuse.

"Wake up on time next time. Moon and I got here like we were suppose to."

"Where is she?" Ash looked around to find Sun's friend.

"She's out cold in one of the rooms. I had to drag her all the way here because she couldn't keep her eyes open," Sun explained to Ash, intentionally ignoring Mallow.

"There's not that many people here! Bzzt!" Rotom observed the lack of people on the ship. In fact, they were the only ones on the deck.

"Not many people have a reason to go to Ula'ula Island. I saw about four tourists where the rooms are located. These ships used to be packed with passengers pressing their luck with the Island Challenge. But with Nanu in charge… well you can guess why they stopped."

Ash thought about what was said the past week. As far as he knew, Nanu was one not to mess with. He didn't think of him like that the first time they met. He was just another Kahuna. But hearing all of these things about Nanu made him think otherwise. He didn't let it get through to him though. He was beating Nanu's Grand Trial no matter what.

"We might as well chill for a while. The trip there is going to take about an hour or two." Sun waved Ash goodbye and proceeded to head to the back of the ship.

"Come on out everyone!" Ash released the rest of his pokémon. "You heard what Sun said. We should rest up before the final trial."

"Have you chosen which pokémon you're going to use, Ash?" Mallow asked, speaking up for the first time this morning.

Ash's eyes switched to each of his pokémon. They all looked at him hopefully minus Poipole, who decided to play around somewhere on the ship.

"I'm still not sure. I'll figure it out after the training session with Sun." The pokémon nodded understandably and tackled Ash into a bear hug. "Haha! Cut it out guys!"

Mallow and Steenee smiled at the sight. Ash had a way to connect with his pokémon. She admired him for that.

"Mallow! Bzzt." Rotom tapped on her shoulder. "Don't look now but I think Sun's up to something." Rotom pointed to Sun, who miraculously found a chair and was sitting on it. It appeared that he was doing something suspicious.

"You might be right." Mallow checked in with Ash to see him still playing with his pokémon. "Let's go check it out."

Mallow tiptoed to the area where Sun was. Some of the tourists gave her strange looks but she ignored it. Steenee and Rotom followed much quieter than the green haired girl. Once they got closer, Mallow could overhear Sun's mutters.

"Hmm. When we get to Ula'ula Island, I'm going to have to stay clear from that brat Acerola. She seems to be aware of her surroundings and may catch me if I get too suspicious," Sun said to himself, scribbling in his notepad.

"We have to get closer. Bzzt," Rotom whispered. The three were now right behind Sun's chair. The boy had no idea what was going on and focused in on the notepad in his hands. Mallow motioned them to stay put while she peeked over his shoulder. Mallow only catched a glimpse of the notepad before a voice caught her red-handed.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, green!?" Moon whispered angrily, from one of the windows in the room. It didn't catch Sun's attention. Mallow hitched her breath and turned to the fuming Moon. She quickly backed away and hurried over to Moon.

"Listen, I-"

"Stay away from Sunny. Got it!?" Moon clenched the edge of the window with a scowl.

"Got it!" Mallow was thankful that Moon didn't see her try to spy on whatever Sun was doing. Moon just assumed that Mallow was lingering close to him and let her jealousy consume her.

"We have to be more careful! Bzzt!" Rotom said after Moon closed the window. "I'll go fly above him and snap a picture."

Mallow liked the idea. "Good thinking! Make sure to turn the flash off though or Sun will catch you!" She warned it.

"Check! I'm clear to go!" Mallow and Steene wished it luck.

Rotom activated its camera mode and hovered silently to the air. It did so slowly, taking extra precautions. Once fully above Sun, Rotom flipped its screen over and discreetly snapped a picture of the notepad that Sun was holding. It quickly made its way back down and back to Mallow.

"Got it! Bzzt!" Rotom exclaimed excitingly. It pulled up the picture so Mallow could see it. After zooming in, the words on the paper was visible to the human eye. It was a page full of words. Sun was writing his thoughts down. She read it waringly.

 **Note - Avoid Acerola at all costs!**

"What is his deal with Acerola? She's one of the kindest people I've met." Mallow remembered the day of Sun's stupid party. She introduced herself to Acerola and the two chatted for a bit. It was a short time but Mallow figured out her character by then. She held off these thoughts for later and continued reading.

 **I know Nanu is up to something. No way a big old grump like him is innocent. He's hiding something in that Police Station. I caught him way too many times trying to be sneaky. He usually plays it off but I don't buy it one bit. That brat, Acerola is a possible suspect. Nanu is her guardian, he'd have to tell her what was going on. It explains why she avoided me after the whole incident. Something big is happening in Alola and I don't mean the pokémon league that Professor Kukui is establishing. The cause of it all, possibly Nanu**.

Mallow finished reading it and took a moment to take it all in. "Something big is happening? What does that even mean!?" She shrieked, covering her mouth when she realized how loud she was. Sun turned around from his chair and glared at the three, annoyed. Mallow glared right back and headed back to the deck with the pokémon and pokédex in tow.

"That was another close one. Bzzt! We're mighty lucky that Sun didn't pay much attention to whatever you said," Rotom acknowledged with a grin.

"Yeah… lucky," Mallow mumbled softly before getting right back on track. "Anyway, do you see anything else in that picture?"

"No. It's really weird though, bzzt! Ash and I met Nanu and Acerola a few days ago. I could never imagine them like that. Especially Acerola! Bzzt!" Rotom said with curiosity. Sure Nanu was a stick in the mud, but he wouldn't do anything bad. Right?

"Stee!" Steenee wanted to see the picture too and tried to jump on Mallow's shoulder to get a better view.

"Steenee!" Mallow wasn't used to having Steenee on her shoulder since she was a Bounsweet. Due to this, Mallow tumbled over, taking Rotom down with her in the process.

"Rotom down! Bzzt!" Poor Rotom was squashed underneath the pile.

Ash heard Rotom's defeated cry and rushed over to them. He grabbed Mallow's hand and helped her up her feet.

"Thanks Ash." Mallow dusted some of the dust off her overalls and gave Ash a sincere smile. Ash returned the gesture and noticed his Rotom on the ground.

"You too buddy." Ash picked up the pokédex from the ground and saw something on its screen. "Hey, what's this?" He hummed.

"Nooo!!!" Rotom buzzed frantically. It turned its screen off in panic.

Ash furrowed his eyebrow, not expecting his Rotom to act up. "Rotom. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing! Bzzt!" Rotom desperately tried to pry itself from Ash's hands. It was bothersome that it didn't know any actual moves to escape.

"Come on, Rotom! Let me see!" Ash pressed on, swatting one of Rotom's arms away from the buttons. He pushed one of the buttons and the screen lit up once more.

"Sorry Ash!" Mallow apologized beforehand and kicked Ash's stomach. He crashed to the floor and groaned.

"Delete it!" Mallow whispered. Rotom reluctantly did so and erased one of their pieces of evidence.

"What's your deal Mallow?" Ash hopped to his feet and narrowed his eyes at her. "Rotom! Reveal your whole album to me. I want to see what the fuss is about." Ash wasn't normally so strict but he had a feeling that there was more to it.

"Activate Gracious Retreat!" Rotom hovered up so that Ash couldn't nab it. "Must lock up personal pictures!" Rotom set up a super top secret password and stored the two pictures from yesterday into the category. It smiled, proud of its quick thinking and lowered itself down.

"What's the big deal you guys?" Ash didn't know what was up with the two.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with. That's for sure!" Mallow laughed nervously. Ash stared at her for a few more seconds before shrugging.

"If you say so. But I'm not forgetting this," He said. "I'm going to go hang out with Sun for a while." With that, Ash left to go meet up with Sun.

Mallow sighed, "We need a better approach. We'll be caught before we know it."

"Definitely. Bzzt."

 ** _Later..._**

Moon woke up for the third time this morning with a yawn. She stretched her body as far as she could, making a few cracking sounds with her back.

"Morning Sunny Number Two~" Moon said to her plush Squirtle, a bit drowsy. She gave the plush a kiss on the head and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom and fix up her messy hair. After that, Moon placed her hat back on her head and headed out to see what Sun was up to.

She found him and his friend, Ash sitting on two seats. A small table was in-between them. On that small table was a chess board. Curious, Moon brought over another chair and placed it right next to Sun's. She then sat on her own chair, grabbed hold of Sun's arm, and leaned into his shoulder.

"Watcha doing?" Moon asked, eyeing the funny looking pieces.

"Playing chess," Sun answered, moving one of his pieces forward with his free arm. He ignored the growing blush forming on his face.

Moon watched the two go back and forth. Her interest in the game shrinking every minute. She listened in to what Sun said. Apparently, she had been sleeping for most of the trip. Sun spent a half hour explaining to Ash how the game worked. A few games later, Ash finally understood the general idea of the game and gave Sun a run for his money this match.

"Hmm…" Sun pursed his lips shut, finding himself cornered. There was no possible move that wouldn't give Ash the win. He wasn't going to let Ash win the match. He was the teacher and Ash was the student! Not the other way around!

"Oh no! Earthquake!" Sun used his free hand to shake the table violently. The chess pieces dropped to the ground.

"Sun!" Ash deadpanned. He was a move away from getting his first win in chess. Now it was ruined by Sun's underhanded tactics.

"Man. That earthquake must've come out of nowhere. Guess we'll have to start all over again." Sun faked his disappointment.

"Forget it," Ash huffed, leaving with an irked expression on his face.

"Tee-hee! You're so funny Sunny!" Moon giggled, hugging his arm with more force. Sun disregarded the tiny hearts floating beside Moon's face in favor of spacing out. The thoughts of possibly confronting Nanu swirled in his mind. He didn't plan on spitting out an accusation in front of Nanu's face. He wanted to be as stealthy as a spy.

"Hey, Sunny." Moon spoke up, breaking Sun out of his thoughts. "Do you think that Ash guy can win whatever that thing is called?"

Sun laughed, making a mental note to teach her more about Alola. "Of course I do. I did train him after all," Sun stated with pride.

"I guess you have a point. You are a strong trainer." The two sat in silence until it was broken by Moon. "I'm bored Sunny."

"What do you want to do then?"

Moon glanced over at the chess board. "Teach me how to play that."

Meanwhile, Ash had his hands against the ship's railing as he stared off to the ocean. His mind was filled with many thoughts that made him question things that are currently happening. One of those thoughts revolved around Mallow and Rotom. He looked at them and found that they were still secretly whispering to each other about who knows what.

Ash desperately wanted to know more now than ever. Rotom wasn't one to misbehave often. Mallow wouldn't hide anything from him or their friends. What made that change? Whatever was in Rotom's photo album is the focal point of it all. Ash didn't like that his friends were hiding something from him. As if they didn't trust him with the mystery secret.

"Was this how Sun felt?" Ash asked himself. He quickly rejected this. His friends would never turn their back on him. They were too nice of friends to do that. But they were adamant on shoving Sun out of their group, who's to say that he won't suffer the same fate too?

 _'It sure is something to think about. But I'm sure it wouldn't come down to that.'_ Even if they were to do that, some would patch things up with him at some point. He took Lana for an example. She showed her distaste for Sun back when Professor Kukui announced that Sun was coming to the school. But now, it seems like they're friends again. He wasn't sure what the deal was with Lillie though.

 _'I hope she's doing alright. Maybe she was sick yesterday.'_ Her absence yesterday worried him and the rest of their friends. He'd have to find out after he completed Nanu's Grand Trial. This brought Ash to another question. Was he better off training with Sun? Would his training help him win the rematch?

Before Ash left Ula'ula Island, Acerola had offered training to Ash by enlisting the help of Tapu Bulu. If it were different, Ash would've accepted Acerola's offer. Prior to her offer, he had brought up Sun's name and asked for her thoughts about him. After all, she was in one of the pictures in Sun's house. It was a weird conversation. Ash could tell there was something off from her usual kind demeanour. The talk started when they were in her house…

 **Flashback**

Ash and Lycanroc were upset. They had lost against Nanu. The harsh reality was that they never stood a chance. Lycanroc was taking it harder. Acerola was busy washing up the dishes while the pokémon ate.

"Acerola." Ash spoke up, getting her attention. "Is there anywhere on Ula'ula Island where we can train?"

"Train?" Acerola repeated, thinking of an answer. "Oh, I know! You should go see Tapu Bulu!"

"Tapu Bulu?" Ash questioned, not familiar with the name. It sounded familiar though. After an explanation from Rotom, Ash perked up.

"I'm sure Tapu Bulu will help you train!" Acerola assured him with a smile.

"In that case…" Ash grabbed several boxes of pokémon food that had a Rockruff on the cover and dumped it into a bowl. Lycanroc eyed the stack of pokémon food, confused. "Let's eat plenty and build up power!" Ash had a hand of pokémon food which Lycanroc happily ate. The other pokémon joined in as well.

"That's the spirit!" Ash laughed. The sun's dimming light reflected with the window. Ash took note of this and stared at the setting sun. Seeing it reminded Ash of what was to happen tomorrow at the Pokémon School.

"Acerola, do you know a person called Sun?" Ash asked. It was a simple question which is why he didn't expect Acerola to drop one of the plates that she was washing. Thankfully, it didn't break.

"Acerola?" Ash checked to make sure if she was okay. Her whole body stiffened at the mention of Sun.

"C-can you repeat that?" Her voice sounded more different than usual.

"Have you heard of someone named Sun? The professor said he was coming back tomorrow." Ash said.

"Coming back tomorrow!?" Acerola shrieked. She had a look of terror on her face. "Ah!" She ran out of the kitchen. Mimi, her Mimikyu, followed her with concern.

"Eh!?" Ash was as perplexed as his pokémon. "Stay here guys." Ash went to the living room where Acerola was laying there sadly. Mimi was floating above her.

"Something the matter?" He was met with a muffled noise. "Excuse me? Was it something I said?"

"Yes!" Acerola sprung up. "Is it true!? Is Sun really coming back!?" She asked, her body shaking frantically.

"Uh yeah. What's the big deal? I'm sure he'd be glad to see you since it sounds like you know him," Ash replied. Acerola lay back down on the couch. The room was silent for a few minutes.

"So is it true? Is Sun really a powerful trainer like everyone else says he is?" Ash wanted to confirm everyone's words.

A light bulb appeared over Acerola's head. "Yes! That's it! You should go train with him instead! He qualifies better for the position!" The shakiness in her voice didn't fully convince Ash.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't a Tapu be better?"

"Yes I am! He beat uncle before so that helps a lot! In fact, I just remembered. I'm busy tomorrow so I can't help you!" Acerola lied. Her expression softened when Ash fell for the fib.

"I guess since you're busy." He shrugged. Training was training. He left the living room to regroup with his pokémon and tell them the news.

Acerola groaned, finding comfort by looking at Mimi. A few tears slipped under her eyes

"We have to tell uncle tomorrow."

 **End of Flashback**

"Ash! Ash!" Mallow's yelling snapped Ash out of his stupor. "We're almost there!" True to her words, the view of Ula'ula Island can be seen.

"I must've been out of it for a while," Ash murmured. "Oh well. I got to go tell Sun!" Ash rushed over to the back of the ship to see Sun and Moon playing chess. To Ash's amusement, Sun was losing his mind.

"Your go, Sunny!" Moon chirped brightly. She was on the verge of winning. Then maybe she can impress Sun with her victory.

Sun stopped nervously chewing his lips and grabbed one of his pieces. "Oh no! Earthquake!" Sun dropped the piece and shaked the table's legs. The match was over just like that.

"Sunny! You meanie!" Moon whined, disappointed with the outcome.

"Man, those earthquakes come at the worst times!" Sun said with fake surprise. "Guess we'll have to start all over."

Ash shook his head and made his way over to the two. "Hey Sun, we're almost there!"

"Good," Sun responded with a strange tone in his voice.

"Sunny?" Moon immediately noticed this. A wave of concern flashed through her eyes.

"I'm just saying it's good to arrive. Being cooped up in this boat is quite boring." Sun was telling the truth in a way. He wasn't going to tell the real reason though.

The ship had finally arrived to the docks of Ula'ula Island. Sun was the first one out. His senses were on high alert. Moon was next, observing the new land with curiosity. Ash followed with Mallow in tow.

"Here's the schedule guys!" Sun started. "I payed the captain extra to stay here until the end of the day. That and he was a fan, hehe! First things first. We go find Nanu and tell him that you want a rematch, Ash." Sun had a weird grin on his face.

"Good idea!" Ash replied, oblivious to Sun's behavior.

Mallow and Rotom nodded to each other. While on the ship, the two had formed a plan that Rotom would be the one to spy on Sun if he left the group for whatever reason.

The four walked to the police station with Sun leading the way. Poipole was eagerly playing with Pikachu. Sun answered most of Moon's questions during the trip. Eventually they made it to the front of the building.

"Okay. I'll stay out here while you three go in." Sun made sure to stand far away from the window.

"Why are you staying here? Bzzt!" Rotom inquired with suspicion.

"You know. Just because of... stuff." Sun shoved his hands in his pockets and whistled innocently.

"I'll keep you company, Sunny!" Moon hugged his arm gleefully. For a moment, Rotom spotted a hint of anger on Sun's face. This only confirmed his initial thoughts of Sun trying something while they were all inside.

"Then it's settled." Ash didn't pay too much attention to them and entered the police station with Mallow.

Ash stood by the desk that Nanu was at. He didn't notice him yet.

"Pardon me!" His sudden appearance caused Nanu to jumped slightly.

"Ugh. It's you!" Nanu groaned. His quiet peace was interrupted by the boy.

"Lycanroc's gotten stronger! Please let us take your trial!" Ash pleaded.

Nanu's head dropped. "Why do you always come straight to me?" He was dead straight on dismissing the boy and declining him of a rematch.

"Please, Nanu! I trained super hard!" Ash was worried that Nanu wasn't going to grant him a rematch. Then an idea came to him. "I've been training with Sun! You know, the trainer that beat your trial. I promise that we've become strong for your tastes!" He blurted out.

Nanu almost fell out of his chair. He fully stood up and placed his hands on his desk. "Sun, you say? Where is he!?"

Ash unknowingly destroyed Sun's plans. "Outside! Right there." He pointed to the general direction to where Sun last was.

"I see." Nanu made a beeline to the door and opened it slowly. He spotted Sun waiting there with some girl clung to him.

"Hello there, Sun," Nanu chuckled when Sun tumbled to the ground. "Nice to see you here."

Sun gathered himself and forced a smile. "Likewise."

Nanu opened the door fully and gestured him to go inside. "It would be rude to not invite you in."

Sun gritted his teeth. "How thoughtful of you. Don't mind if I do." Nanu, Sun, and Moon entered the police station.

"Woah." Rotom was taken back by how tense Sun was. Nanu was right behind him, smiling oddly.

"Now that we're all here." Nanu headed back to behind his desk. "I'll let you take a trial," He said to Ash.

"Really!?" Ash asked incredulously. "If I clear it can I challenge your trial?"

"You bet!"

Mallow started to shift uncomfortably by how strange Nanu was acting. She secretly pitied Sun, who was receiving the stares. Maybe she was wrong about all of this and Nanu was up to something. Sun was never this scared in the time she knew him. That's saying a lot since she knew him her whole life.

"Alright! Let's do our best Lycanroc!" He hugged his pokémon. "What sort of trial will it be?"

"That is up to Sun. I'm putting him in charge of your trial," Nanu said, turning all eyes to Sun.

"That quite generous of you. But I think only Kahuna's should be the one to give a trial," Sun reasoned, trying to get out of it.

"I insist! As Kahuna of Ula'ula Island, I invoke this responsibility in your hands. Surely you wouldn't deny such request." Nanu put his hands behind his head and grinned.

"You can count on me…" Sun trailed off, having deciding to have a stare-off with Nanu.

"Right," Ash coughed, now starting to feel a bit awkward just standing there. "Let's go guys." Sun was the first to leave, bolting out of the door and running off to a random direction. Moon ran after him. Ash and Mallow followed them at a slower pace.

"This sure does change everything. Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. The whole situation made him wary of Nanu too.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ash questioned. His overall excitement caused him to miss out on the small details.

"Didn't you feel a little uncomfortable back there?" Mallow hugged herself. "I don't know what it was but I don't want to go in there again."

"Agreed! Bzzt!" Rotom added in. Ash was indifferent about their decisions.

"Why? I don't see the problem with Nanu. Sure he's a bit grumpy at times but he's not evil or anything." He waved it off as Nanu being Nanu.

Mallow didn't believe Ash. "But still. It might be a good idea to keep an eye on him."

Rotom nodded. "Mallow's correct. Bzzt! Did you see the strange glances he was giving Sun? Totally spooky! I don't recall ever seeing Sun like that."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Rotom's right. I haven't seen him like that either," Mallow admitted. This wasn't Sun being his former shy self, this was Sun being downright afraid.

"I think you two are overreacting. Anyway, I see Sun over there!"

Sun was sitting over by a bench. Moon was next to him, trying to comfort her best friend.

"I think something is wrong with Sunny," Moon said to the two once they got there. She hugged him, trying to get him to speak with her.

"I'm fine," Sun grumbled. "Just a bit surprised, that's all." He accepted Moon's embrace and hugged her back. It soothed down his nerves.

"I don't know. Bzzt." Rotom pressed its luck. "You seemed a little scared back there. Is there something you're not telling us?"

The questioned made Sun tighten his grip on Moon, making her wheeze from the slight pain. "No. Nothing of the sorts. Like I said, I was surprised to see Nanu find me." He frowned. "Which one of you ratted me out?"

Ash raised his hand meekly. "I didn't know you wanted to keep it a secret. Sorry, Sun," He apologized.

"It's fine," Sun sighed. "He was bound to find out at some point." He pushed Moon off softly. "Speaking of which, I decided on what your trial should be."

"What is it!?" He asked ecstatically. "Are we battling again?"

Sun wiggled his finger. "Nope! Though, I am having you battle. It's going to be against Moon!" He declared, shocking the two.

"Her!?"

"Me!?" They cried out at once.

"That's right. I figured you need a new opponent. Who better than Moon herself. She's capable of giving you a great battle! If you can beat her than you pass the trial!"

Moon brightened considerably. If she could beat Ash then she was sure to impress Sun! Even if she might feel bad about crashing Ash's hopes of challenging Nanu's trial. She grabbed a poké ball from her bag.

"Hope you're ready. I won't let you win so easily." She smirked, regaining her arrogant battle style like from the battle with Kiawe.

Ash recovered from his initial shock and grinned right back. "Wouldn't have it any other way. I'm fired up for this one!"

"Please. Hypno, rise and shine!" Moon released Hypno, whose eyes were closing. "Stay up for this one!"

"You up for this buddy?" Ash asked his Pikachu. He decided that he was sticking with Lycanroc for the grand trial and wanted it to not be worn out because of this battle.

"Pika!" Pikachu complied to the request. The two pokémon put some distance around them.

Sun's eyes wandered back to the direction of the police station. As much as it pained him to do this to Ash and Moon, he was going to have to ditch the area and head back. When Moon was in her battle phase, nothing can distract her unless it's something really embarrassing. There was a time where Sun promised Moon a kiss which really set her back into a blushing mess. It was dirty sure, but he won the battle. It came with a price and that was being knocked unconscious for several hours.

"Win the battle for me, Moon! You can do it!" Sun cheered. Moon's cheeks reddened at the words of encouragement. This motivated her more to win the battle.

"Geez, thanks a lot, Sun," Ash grumbled. Sun was basically saying that he wanted him to lose.

"Hehe. Sorry," Sun chuckled apologetically. The pokémon got into battle stance.

"Start this off with Quick Attack!"

Sun lost his smile as the battle began. Everyone was focused at the battle in hand which gave him the perfect opportunity to slip away. He quietly left and headed for the police station.

"Not so fast." Rotom saw Sun leave and went straight after him. In all honesty, Rotom was cautious on how to handle this by itself. It might discover something really awful about Sun or Nanu and never forget it. Or it could be caught and be turned into scrap metal!

"Keep it cool. Bzzt!" Rotom calmed its composure and steadily kept up with Sun. Before it knew it, they were back at the police station.

"This is it." Sun leaned back against the building. He was on the verge of finding out the truth. One look inside, Sun spotted Nanu still relaxing in his chair. He had a plan to get him out for a while. Plenty of time to undercover his secrets. Nanu could be on to him, which is why he was pretty shaken up earlier.

"Hehe." Sun fished out several canisters of smoke bombs from his pockets. This alone can fill the entire building. Nanu would come out and stay outside for hours until the smoke cleared up. Sun grabbed his gas mask and prepared to let it rip.

"Here we go. One… two… three-"

"What are you doing!?" A feminine voice cried out.

Sun's body froze, cursing himself and his rotten luck. He slowly turned his head and glared at the purple haired girl behind him. A Mimikyu was floating beside her.

It was Acerola, and she wasn't pleased at all.

"Crud."

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Author's Note: Ash and Moon's battle will be in the next chapter along with the outcome of Acerola catching Sun in the act. It'll be something you all won't expect from the two. To be clear, Ash is winning and facing Nanu. That doesn't mean his battle with Moon won't be easy. Stay tuned!_**


	10. Ash's Second Chance: Part Two

**_Long Author's Note: If you don't care about me and want to just read the chapter then you can move on and skip this A/N. If so, read on. I've lately become unmotivated with this story. I don't know why but this and last chapter was a pain to type. I think it may have to do with having to follow the anime. I didn't have this problem earlier since it was mostly all original stuff in earlier chapters. I guess I like and have fun typing stuff that original since I can have it go any way I want. Granted, I can change the script from the anime but I don't want it too different in the since that it'll turn out weird. I don't even plan out my chapters and I just go with the flow. But now I am planning it all out so there is that. This doesn't mean I'm abandoning this story, it's too soon for that. But the hassle of it has been on my mind. When I'm unmotivated, I get lazy and try to avoid typing in favor of playing games or reading other fanfics._** ** _This chapter may seem rushed, I know I've been saying that a lot as of late but I think it's the truth. I'm iffy on the battle, so much that I changed my earlier idea and decided to just cut out the Ash and Nanu battle since you all already know how it turns out. I wouldn't have changed it at all since it would've all just been the exact same. The next chapter is going to be an original one so we'll see how that turns out and I can stay motivated. This was just a heads up to anyone who thinks this is being rushed or wondering why I haven't been updating as much as I used to. Enjoy the chapter._**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, that is all.**

 **xxxxx**

Sun stood as still as a statue. A nervous smile was on his face as Acerola was glaring at him. He'd been caught red-handed. Also including the fact that she was one of the people he tried to avoid in Alola. Sun was going to have to talk his way out of this.

"Hey… 'Rola! How's it hanging?" He forced the greeting from his mouth, raising his hands up in the air. Acerola's glared hardened as her eyes landed on the many small smoke canisters in one of his hands, and a gas mask in the other.

Sun noticed this and quickly hid them behind his back. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?" He chuckled nervously.

"Sun…" Acerola took a deep breath. "What are you doing!? Are you trying to kill my uncle!?" She screamed. "I can't believe you! To think that we used to-" She was silenced when Sun placed a hand over her mouth. He picked her up and rushed off to the set of trees nearby.

 _'Nanu might've heard her. Better safe than sorry. Being caught by Acerola is bad enough, but Nanu? No way I'm letting that happen.'_ Sun thought, resting against the tree.

Mimi floated around the two, not sure what to do. She didn't know whether to still consider Sun an ally or not. Acerola hadn't told Mimi anything.

"Sheesh! Calm down!" Dragging Acerola wasn't easy. She kept on kicking and wiggling her way out of his grasp. Finally, Sun set her down only for Acerola to try to run off to the police station.

"Ah! Mimi, get Sun off of me! He's an enemy" Acerola cried out, finding herself back in his hold. Mimi tilted her head in confusion.

"Oi, Mimi! Remember all those times we played with each other? I'm not an enemy. In fact, 'Rola and I are just playing around like the good 'ol days. See?" Sun was now using one arm to hold Acerola while using his other hand to tickle her nose. She didn't take this too kindly.

 **CHOMP!**

"Gah! You little purple bugger!" Sun let go of Acerola and grimaced in pain. She bit his finger and didn't hesitate to go easy.

Acerola would've made her escape if it wasn't for Sun tripping her in the process. He pulled her back up and held her in place once more.

"You left me no choice," Sun sighed, seeing only one other option to keep her quiet. It worked before so it should now.

 _'Here goes nothing.'_

 ** _Back with the others..._**

"Go in for a Quick Attack!"

Pikachu charged towards the mysterious pokémon and prepared to ram into it.

Moon was ready for this. "Hypno, do your thing!" Hypno knew what she was talking about. She swung her pendulum left and right, halting Pikachu in his tracks.

"Snap out of it Pikachu!" Ash shouted. To his misfortune, Pikachu didn't hear him.

"Now use Physic!" Hypno's eyes glowed a light blue along with Pikachu's body. "Throw him!" Hypno chucked Pikachu forward, snapping him out of his daze.

"If it's going to be like that then I can already see a victory in my future!" Moon taunted.

Ash shook his head. "Pikachu, come back." Despite his confusion, Pikachu headed back towards Ash. "If we're going to beat that Hypno then we have to make sure you don't get hypnotized." He spoke his thoughts out loud.

Moon got tired of waiting around. "You guys take too long. Psycho Cut!" Hypno scratched the air threw times and the pink blades rushed forward to Pikachu.

"Dodge two of them. Then use Iron Tail on the last one and send it back!"

Pikachu jumped out of the way for two of the physic blades and enforced his tail into a steel gray color. The mouse pokémon whacked the last physic blade back.

"Hypno!" The counter didn't disappoint. Hypno was struck by her own move and staggered back. She almost dropped her pendulum but managed to hold on to it.

Ash watched this carefully. "That's it!'

Mallow cheered Ash on. "That was awesome, Ash! Keep that Hypno grounded! Right, Rotom?" She was surprised to see Rotom gone. "Rotom?" Her eyes flickered around the area with no signs of Rotom visible. That's when she figured out that Sun was gone too.

"Rotom must've gone after him," Mallow guessed. Her attention went back to the battle. "Maybe he'll get the information that we need."

Moon glared at Ash and Pikachu. "You got lucky. We aren't making anymore mistakes!" She fumed, clearly upset that her Hypno took the hit instead of Pikachu. "Do the thing, Hypno!"

Hypno swung her pendulum back and forth, eliciting Pikachu to walk towards her.

"Fight it, Pikachu!" Pikachu managed to break free from the trance but decided to not let Hypno know that.

"If you can hear me, use Iron Tail!"

"Please. There's no way that Pikachu can break out of it." Moon and Hypno laughed as Pikachu walked closer. Before Moon can shout her next command, Pikachu sprung to action and used Iron Tail to whack Hypno's pendulum from her hand.

"How!?" Moon shrieked.

"Awesome!" Ash and Mallow said in unison.

Hypno found her pendulum a few feet away and made a break for it.

"Not so fast! Pikachu, Electro Web!" Pikachu shot out a static web from his tail and launched it at Hypno. She was forced to the ground and trapped. "Now Thunderbolt!" The extra charge of electricity amplified with the Electro Web still in place. Hypno was sent flying as the web broke.

"Play dead," Moon whispered to her fallen pokémon.

"Don't let up. Pikachu, go in for Quick Attack!" Pikachu bolted towards Hypno with intense speed.

"Physic!" Moon shouted before Pikachu could hit Hypno. The mysterious pokémon sat up and her eyes glowed blue. This caused Pikachu to be lifted up to the air. "Now use Pound!" Hypno interlocked her fists together and smashed them on top of Pikachu's head. The mouse pokémon's head collided with the ground hard.

Hypno backed up. "Now use Psycho Cut!" Hypno scratched the air three times and three pink blades were heading towards Pikachu.

"Dodge it!" Pikachu's head was throbbing from the Pound attack and slowly got up only to be hit by the three physic blades. Each with precise aim.

"Yes!" Moon threw her fist to the air. The battle was about to be over in her favor. The excitement was overflowing her mind. When she wins this, she'll impress Sun so much.

"Did you see that Sunny!? Pretty cool, right… oh." Moon turned around, expecting to see her best friend cheering her on. Unfortunately, he wasn't even there to begin with. How long was he gone? He could've been gone since the beginning of the match! Sadness was all she felt. Sad that Sun ditched her. There was no point in battling anymore.

"H-hypno, return." She didn't let Hypno have a chance to protest and sent her back into her poké ball. Moon wiped the tears from her eyes, not wanting to let anyone see her cry.

"Huh?" Ash wasn't expecting this at all. Moon had it in the bag so why didn't she finish him. "What's going on?"

"Y-you win. I forfeit the match. You passed the stupid trial," Moon muttered.

 **Winner - Ash!**

Ash wasn't sure what to make of this. Technically her forfeiting the match means that he won the battle but he didn't want to win like this. He wanted to win the right way. But seeing her in such a depressed state made Ash decide to not bother her right now.

"Pika?" Pikachu scratched his ears which slightly stung from the pain Hypno put him through. The mouse pokémon stared at Ash with mixed emotions.

Ash sighed, "I don't know buddy. Moon forfeited so you won." He made it way to Mallow who was also perplexed of Moon's actions.

"What was that all about?" She asked Ash, hoping he had some form of answer since he was the one battling with her.

Ash looked down at the ground. "I don't know. It doesn't feel like a win for us though," Ash said with Pikachu nodding in agreement. "I hope Moon's okay."

Despite their earlier meetings, Mallow felt bad for Moon. She was a strong trainer judging by the two battles that she was in during her stay in Alola. That feeling worsened when she saw Moon try to desperately hide her tears. She was about to call out to Moon until Ash asked her a question.

"Where's Sun and Rotom?" This question was one she dreaded. She didn't have an immediate excuse to explain their absence. So Mallow used the excuse she always made when Sun decided to sneak out and grab her something.

"Sun went to the bathroom. He's taking so long because we're so far from the nearest restroom. Rotom went with him so it could take more photos of pokémon!" Mallow blurted out fast. Ash took a step back because of how fast she said it.

"Oh green!" Moon suddenly appeared in front of Mallow, holding her hands with a tight grip. "Please tell me it's true and Sunny just went to the bathroom this entire time. He didn't ditch me, right?" Seeing the pleading look in Moon's eyes was heartbreaking enough. So Mallow went with the lie.

"Um...yeah. You know how Sun doesn't like to hold it in after the… incident." Mallow shuddered remembering the memory. Sun came very close to doing the deed in public. It didn't come without its fair share of obstacles though.

Moon gasped. "I do remember Sunny talking about that!"

 _'He actually told her that!?'_ Mallow thought with a hint of disgust.

"Yep, so there's no to cry," Mallow said in an effort to console her. That didn't happen.

"Shut it green! I wasn't crying! Hmph!" Moon pushed her out of the way and marched over to the direction of the police station. "Now hurry up you two. The sooner Ash beats Nanu, the sooner we can leave. I already hate this place!"

Mallow glared at Moon's departing form. "So much for being nice. She really doesn't like me for some reason." It was a day full of surprises as Ash had something to say.

"Do you blame her?" Ash registered what he said. "O-oh wait! I didn't mean to say it like that!"

"What do you mean then?" Mallow questioned with a glare. "Am I really that much of a pain to be with?"

"No! No! You're aren't a pain to be around with! You're really cool to have as company. I'm glad you came." Ash looked down at the ground. "Honestly, I wasn't sure how sharing a boat ride with Sun for a few hours would turn out to be. He's great and all but I can't help but think he's hiding something."

 _'So he notices it too.'_ Mallow thought with a smile.

"How so?" Mallow pretended to be confused as to not cause any suspicion to arise.

"There was this notepad that Sun had. I asked him if I could see it and he got all defensive about it. I don't know, maybe it's his diary or something. I don't think it's any of my business."

Mallow thought about whether it would be a good idea to tell him about the stuff she and Rotom found about Sun. In the end, she decided it was about time to tell someone else about it. Since Sun and Ash will be spending time together training, he could dig up some more information. Though, it will have to wait until after the battle with Nanu. It wouldn't do him any good to think about something else other than the battle. Distractions can play a major part in one's defeat as shown with Kiawe.

"I can give you the answers you need Ash." Mallow went on after seeing Ash's shocked face, "It'll have to wait until later. You got a rematch with Nanu, remember?"

Ash smirked, regaining his confidence. "Right! I can't let anything distract me. Sun's taught me that the hard way." Ash's eyes gazed over to the sun in the sky.

 _'No matter what. I can't let Sun down!'_

 ** _Outside of the police station..._**

"Back to my original plan. Mind helping me out Mimi?" Sun held the smoke canisters and his gas mask, ready to execute the plan. He had taken care of Acerola for the time being. His method of getting her off his tracks worked like a charm and he even recruited Mimi in the process. Mimi was convinced that Sun wasn't an enemy after he did what he did.

"Alright Mimi, when I throw these in the building I want you to go in with me and escort Nanu out. Keep him busy while I'm in there. Got it?" Sun asked after explaining his plan to the ghost.

Mimi nodded, believing this to be a game of some sorts.

Sun opened the door slightly and peered in. Nanu, not surprisingly, was taking a nap. This was Sun's moment.

"Without any interruptions this time. Three… two… one… heave ho!" Sun uncapped the canisters and threw them in the building. "Come on!" Sun and Mimi rushed in the police station. He almost lost his footing when several Alolan Meowths came barging out of the door when the smoke let out.

"Get to it Mimi." Mimi flew over to the direction that Nanu was in and let out a shrill cry. This caused Nanu to stir from his slumber.

"Hmm?" It was then that he noticed the smoke all around them. "Guess I might as well get out of here. Makes for a good excuse so that Jenny won't bug me," Nanu yawned, stretching his arms out wide before sluggishly leaving the building with Mimi.

Sun was dumbfounded at the sight. "Okay, how the heck was he not bothered by the smoke at all!?" He exclaimed under the gas mask. "Bah! Forget it. I got to find what I'm looking for before he comes back."

Sun's first move was to check if there was anything on Nanu's computer. Luckily for him, the bright screen of the computer made it easier to see with all the smoke around. The computer booted up and as expected, the programs were lined up in order. Sun squinted his eyes to get a better look at the title.

"Acerola?" Curiously, Sun clicked on the file and opened it up. "Ugh…" Much to his disgust, there were pictures of Acerola and Nanu in it.

 _'They appear innocent in these but I'm so close to unveiling the truth.'_ Sun close the file and moved on to another. This one was titled: **Challengers**. It was self explanatory. There were numerous names of people and their pokémon. It was up to date since Sun could spot Ash's name as the most recent.

 _'I can't really get much use from this.'_ With that, Sun closed the file and scanned for one that was more eye grabbing. Eventually he came across a file called: Life as an Island Kahuna. Sun already knew how much Nanu didn't like the position. When you're chosen to be an Island Kahuna by one of the deities there's no refusing. It wasn't something to dwell on but there may be some sort of evidence in it.

Opening it up, Sun was met with numerous dates. He didn't know when Nanu had the time to do this considering that it mopes around all day. Sun had one specific date in mind, the day of his departure. Finding the date, Sun read on anxiously.

 **Something very interesting happened. That boy, the one I was scheduled to battle along with the other three, he left. He finally left. And all it took was a couple of idiots to double cross him. Granted, it was me who arranged this whole Team Skull kidnapping. Don't know why Giovanni wanted me to do it but what's done is done. It was a wise choice, I've seen the looks he's giving me as of late. He's on to me. Now he can't dig in too deep. It's a win for the big man and for me.**

Sun clenched the mouse tightly. His body was shaking with anger. He slammed his fist to the desk in fury.

"It was you this whole time," Sun growled under his breath. Nanu was the one who organized his kidnapping. The week of being bossed around by Jenercocio and his goons was a living nightmare that still haunted his memories.

 _'He was right.'_ The day that he visited the police station, the first thing that Jenercocio told him was that Nanu paid them to do the deed. Sun didn't believe it one bit. He didn't trust Jenercocio and the whole story was a bit far fetched to begin with. Then again, Nanu couldn't be trust either. It only confirmed his suspicions.

It sounded weird but Sun was a little glad that Nanu did it. He knew who his true friends were now, he got to explore a new region, meet Moon who was as good as a best friend like Hau is. She had her quirks but that was what made her unique. Sun even got to compete in a pokémon league and almost won the whole thing. Going to Kanto was one of the best things in his life.

However, this wasn't what he was looking for. It only helped slightly. The part where Giovanni ordered Nanu to do it. Giovanni. Giovanni. Giovanni. He can't get that name out of his mind. Team Rocket as a unit. They're the ones that ruined his life and he sure as heck was going to get his revenge. He just needed more information to see whether or not his suspicions were true. He could be hating on an organization who had nothing to do with it. But most of what he found pointed towards them.

"Maybe there's something on the date that I returned." Sun calmed down and tried to find the day of his arrival. But there was nothing to be found. He came up with the conclusion that Nanu stopped doing these. The last one he could find was from six months ago. There wasn't really much more he could do with this.

"I need some air." Even with the gas mask, Sun was feeling a bit lightheaded. He hurried over to the nearest window and opened it. This turned out to be fatal as the smoke started to clear out immediately.

"No!" Sun wanted to close the window but the need for oxygen was more dire. Sighing, he let the smoke clear out as he breathed in some fresh air. "Mimi better have kept Nanu far away from here. He could open the door any second if he's right outside and sees the smoke gone."

After all, a pokémon couldn't betray him, right?

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

Nanu was casually leaning back against the building with his kendama in his hand. He flipped it left and right, boredom overcoming him. He heard one of the Meowth's meow and smirked when he saw the group of felines' eyes follow wherever the ball goes.

Mimi was also watching the ball. She completely forgot about the plan she had with Sun. The ball was just so… intriguing.

"That reminds me. Mimi." Nanu stopped messing around with his kendama. "Where's Acerola? She didn't send you alone, did she?" He got a head shake. "Then where is she?"

Mimi pointed her tail to the direction where she and Sun left Acerola. Mimi really wanted Nanu to continue playing with the kendama.

"We're going to return you back to Acerola. Tapu knows how much these Mewoths are a handful as it is." Nanu began walking nonchalantly to the area and came across a set of trees. Behind them, he found Acerola slumped over on one of the tree's.

"Acerola!" Nanu rushed over to her to make sure she was okay. To his surprise, Acerola didn't even notice him. She was gazing up at the sun with the silliest grin on her face. Her face was as red as his shirt.

"Can you hear me?" He crouched down and placed his hands on her shoulder. Acerola finally spared him a glance and giggled heartily. Her body fell to the grass and she playfully nuzzled it.

"What's gotten into you!?" He wasn't sure why she was acting this way. "Mimi! Do you know what happened to Acerola?"

Mimi nodded and pointed her tail at the sun in the sky. Nanu understood the gesture and glared at Acerola.

"Acerola, is there something you want to tell me?" It sounded more like a demand than a question. Acerola wasn't intimidated the slightest.

"Tee-hee… Sun…" She began her uncontrollable fit of giggles. Mimi floated around her, still thinking this was all a game and everyone was laughing. Well, not everyone.

"Sun's here!? SUN!!!" Nanu roared, realizing that Sun was nearby and did something to Acerola. Now that he thought about it, maybe he was the one who fogged the building up.

"SUN!!! I'm going to get you!!!" Nanu headed back to the police station in a full on sprint. He was by no means going to have Sun snooping around and find something he wasn't suppose to find.

 ** _Back with Sun..._**

"Bleh!" Sun spat out before closing the window. All of the smoke disappeared meaning that he was going to have to wrap things up. He quickly made his way over to the computer and shut it off.

"I can't leave empty-handed! I got to find something." In an effort of desperation, Sun started to rummage through everything Nanu had.. From filing cabinets to drawers, most of it was useless junk.

"There!" Sun ultimately collected a paper file that was labeled: **TR**. This was exactly what he needed. Sun, proud of himself, went to the entrance to skedaddle out of there until he heard the door slam open.

"Sun!!!" Nanu's voice boomed. Sun's eyes widened and he had no choice but to go inside the room with the jail cells.

"What a surprise!" A familiar voice called out. Sun turned around to see the former Team Skull leader standing in one of the jail cells with a smirk.

"Jenercocio! You're a criminal. How do you escape a prison?" He asked, desperate to get out of there.

Jenercocio placed a hand over his chest. "Me? A criminal? I like to think I'm more of a savior. A savior to those who need a path in their life."

Sun rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever. Just help me out of here." He wasn't going to listen to another one of Jenercocio's rants. He had enough of those during the initiation.

Jenercocio crossed his arms, annoyed at the boy's rudeness. The look of annoyance soon turned into one of glee.

"I'll tell you what. I help you escape but I'll be coming with you."

"Out of the question! I already lightened your sentence. Just wait it out!"

"Then I guess you'll be joining me in here after Nanu's done with you." Jenercocio went back to his own business. He set up a tic-tac-toe game on the wall to play on his own.

"I know you're in here you brat!" The doors busted wide open, revealing an irate Nanu who could explode at any moment.

Sun didn't have much of a choice. "Okay! You can come! Just get us out of here!"

Jenercocio smirked. "That's the spirit." He walked over to a poster on the wall and took it down. "Voila!" A tunnel was hidden behind poster. "We sneak in there and make our way out!"

"Right ahead of you." Sun swooped into the tunnel. He was eager to get away from Nanu. Jenercocio was right behind him, placing the poster back into its spot so it wouldn't give away their position. "This way." Sun let Jenercocio take the lead. After a lengthy escape route that was too difficult to describe, the two had gotten out.

"Freedom at last!" Jenercocio sniffed the fresh air with a content expression.

"Man, that was so much crawling. My back is cramping," Sun whined.

A tick mark appeared on Jenercocio's forehead when he spotted a familiar belt clip on Sun's waist. "You mean to inform me that you had your pokémon the entire time and didn't use them to help you escape?!" He deadpanned.

"Umm… whoops?" Sun felt a hand smack the back of his head, sending him to the ground.

"See you later idiot. I got someone to talk to," Jenercocio sneered, leaving the boy on the ground.

Sun groaned, his vision filled with the gray color of the sidewalk. He got back up, dusting the dirt off of his clothes.

"Why me?" Luck wasn't on his side as he was tackled to the ground with a thud.

"Sunny!" Moon squealed in delight. Sun cursed his rotten luck, _'accidentally'_ knocking Moon off of him.

 ** _In the police station..._**

"He's not here!? But how?!" Nanu slammed his head into the wall, not happy that Sun turned out to be nowhere. He fixed his attention to one of the inmates. "You there, did you see a boy run in here!?"

The inmate smiled wickedly. "If there was I would've invited him in here." Hearing that made Nanu's face twist with disgust.

"You people make me sick." He exited the room and went back to the main office. Nanu checked the front office one more time but still found to traces of Sun being there. Perhaps he was overreacting. Maybe Acerola was talking about the sun in the sky.

"Ugh… can't wait until I get relieve myself from this position," Nanu grumbled, taking his seat. He put his feet up against the desk and messed around with his kendama.

It wasn't even a full five seconds before someone came barging in the police station. Nanu jolted up, not expecting company.

"Oh… it's just you people again." Nanu faced the three trainers with disinterest.

 _'Wait a minute… three?'_ Nanu's eyes bulged out when he saw Sun with them. It appeared that he was wrong after all.

"Sunny~" Moon cooed, clinging herself to Sun's back. The usual tiny hearts beside her grew even bigger. Sun shifted his feet awkwardly, his blush slowly rising.

"Nanu! I've completed Sun's trial! That means I can challenge yours now, right?!" Ash asked ecstatically.

Nanu sighed wistfully and got up from his seat. "Guess I got no choice. A promise is a promise. Fine. You can take my grand trial."

Ash jumped with joy. "Alright! Thank you so much!" Sun cracked a smile, seeing Ash so happy. It reminded him of himself and how he used to react.

Nanu found it the right opportunity to question Ash. "If I may, what was Sun's trial that you managed to beat?"

Sun froze as Ash answered him, "He got me to battle his friend Moon." Sun closed his eyes, silently dreading what was going to come out of Nanu's mouth.

"And why didn't he have you battle him instead?"

"Beats me. He sort of bailed on us though. Sun had to go use the bathroom so he couldn't stick around." Sun wanted to smack Ash upside the head but controlled his rising temper.

"Yeah! Sun doesn't like holding it in after the… incident," Moon added in, saying the last part in a sinister tone.

"Hey! How do you know about that!?" Sun turned his head so he could face her. He temporarily forgot the situation at hand.

"Ehehe…" Moon buried her embarrassment by pressing her face into Sun's back.

 **Flashback**

"Hnng! Mallow… out of the way! I'm about to explode!" Sun said in his sleep. "Wah!! Professor, I don't have time to help you with your coat!! I got to go!" He twist and turned in the sleep.

"Lana… I swear you better move before I make you! Don't forget about the last time! Argh, Sophocles! Show me your invention next time!" Sun began to sweat nervously in his sleep.

"Bwahaha!" Moon was laughing to her heart's content, hearing Sun relieve one of his most embarrassing moments.

 **End of Flashback**

"Lucky guess?" Moon chuckled, averting her gaze.

"It was green, wasn't it. She was the only one who knew!" Sun concluded furiously. "She's already spreading my embarrassing secrets. You know what, I'll tell you one of hers to get her back!"

"Um… Sun." Ash attempted to calm down his friend. Though, he'd admit, hearing a private secret did sound intriguing.

"Yes! It was green! That she-devil told me it all!" Moon lied. She didn't feel bad about it one bit.

"Get a load of this! You know why Mallow wears overalls all the time? Well, it's because she-"

"Ahem." Nanu cleared his throat. "While that is very… interesting in its own way, I'll schedule the battle for... tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, what?" Sun's eyes turned into dots at that last statement. "Tomorrow? As in tomorrow tomorrow?"

"What else!? Yes tomorrow!" Nanu barked.

Ash remembered what Sun had told him yesterday. Sun was busy with whatever he had tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to make it tomorrow for his grand trial.

"Can't it be for today?" Sun pleaded. That's when Nanu regained his odd smile from before.

"Is that a problem? Do you have any, I don't know… snooping to do tomorrow?" Nanu inquired, his voice firm.

Sun, to his credit, pulled off a convincing brave face. "Snooping? For what? No, I got some business to attend to at Melemele Island and I won't be there to support Ash."

Nanu smirked and wiped an invisible tear with one finger. "Oh boo hoo. My grand trial, my rules. The grand trial is tomorrow and that's final. Now get out. My patience is already dwindling," Nanu dismissed the three and sat back down.

"Shoot." Sun was troubled by the news. He waved to Ash to follow him. "Let's head outside and discuss this," He said quietly. Ash nodded in agreement and the two, along with a clinging Moon, walked to the door.

"Oh Sun, before I forget." Nanu tossed something to the ground in front of him. "You left this after your… last visit."

Sun bit his tongue so he wouldn't let out a gasp. There, on the floor was the same exact gas mask that he used during his plan. Sun slowly lifted his head to see Nanu's reaction. The older man bore a wide smile that sent chills down his spine.

Sun gulped, "Y-you must be confused. Th-this isn't m-mine. B-but I'll t-take it and s-sell it off." Sun picked up the gas mask and quickly rushed out of the building with Moon on his back.

"Huh?" Ash and his Pikachu stood there, flabbergasted. Sun looked terrified before he left. But why?

"Word of advice." Nanu's cold voice spoke. "Don't make friends with someone with a target on their back." Although Ash couldn't decipher Nanu's advice, he still felt an eerie meaning behind it.

 _'Does he mean Sun? I see what Mallow and Rotom were saying earlier.'_

"Th-thanks," Ash mumbled, exiting the police station without another word. Once he got outside, he saw Mallow and Rotom conversing between themselves while Sun forced a sobbing Moon off of him.

 _'Might as well see what are Sun's thoughts about this. He might not be there for my grand trial.'_ Ash pondered in his head. He could feel Mallow and Rotom's stares behind his head as he inched closer to Sun.

"There's a thing called personal space, Moon! I can't have you clinging on to me like a Meowth all the time!" He scolded the teary Moon.

"Why not?!" She cried out.

"Because… because…" Sun caught the approaching Ash out of the corner of his eye. "Ash, help me out here."

"What?"

"Tell her she shouldn't rely on me so much and use me as a method of transportation!" Sun exclaimed, pointing accusing fingers at Moon.

Ash decided to have a little bit of fun. "It seems alright to me!" He replied in a chipper tone.

Sun's jaw dropped from hearing Ash's betrayal. Moon cheered and clung on to Sun's body in a vice grip.

"Gee, thanks," Sun muttered, storing his gas mask away.

"You're welcome!" Ash quipped. "What's that for anyway? And why did Nanu say you dropped it earlier? I didn't see you with one."

Sun shifted his gaze to the sun. "Oh I don't know. Like I said, it wasn't mine. Heh heh." He was having a real hard time trying to lie while having Moon poking his cheeks obnoxiously.

"Are you going back to Melemele Island then?"

Sun thought about the question. He did want to see Ash ruin Nanu's day by beating him. Plus, it'll mean a lot to Ash if he was there with him. But will it be worth it? Nanu was for sure on to him if handing him the gas mask said anything. Wherever Nanu was, Acerola would be close by and Sun wasn't looking forward with dealing with her again. The most important part was his plans for tomorrow. He was going in, spying once more. He needed answers from one of the highest suspects.

Sun was heading to the Aether Paradise.

"Will you understand if I said yes." Sun regretted that when Ash's smile faded. "If it were another day I would totally be there for you but not tomorrow. I got to meet up with this associate of mine and it really has to be tomorrow. Please understand Ash!" Sun begged him for his forgiveness.

Ash sighed but nodded anyway. "I understand. It's not your fault that Nanu wanted to battle tomorrow instead. I just really wanted to show you how much your training taught me." The two were silent for a couple of seconds. Sun's attention hovered to the talking pokédex.

"Rotom! You piece of scrap metal! Get over here!" Sun called out to Rotom. Rotom left his spot by Mallow and flew to the two boys and Moon.

"Y-yes? Bzzt." Rotom was certain that Sun caught on. Why else would he call it over? Maybe he snitched on it to Ash. Ash would send it to the scrap factory for sure! Rotom would be inches away from the incinerator before its fate was sealed. Ash would get a new pokédex and-

"I want you to take pictures of Ash's grand trial for me. 'Kay?"

Maybe Rotom exaggerated just a _tiny_ bit.

"W-why I'd be glad to! Bzzt!" Relief washed over the screen of Rotom.

"That's a great idea Sun!" Ash said.

"Yep! And I can see your finishing move. I'm a genius, I know," Sun bragged. "By the way, where are you going to stay? The grand trial is tomorrow."

Ash placed a hand over his chin. "I guess I can stay over at Acerola's again."

"No no no no no!" Sun panicked before remembering that he wasn't going to be there. "I mean, just be careful Ash. Watch yourself," He advised him, finally prying Moon off of him.

"Why?" Ash questioned.

"Look at the time!" Sun dodged the question. "I got a boat to catch before it leaves. You coming Moon?"

"Of course, Sunny!" Moon beamed brightly. She wasn't going anywhere without Sun. In this new unfamiliar region, she could get lost.

"I'm guessing that green is staying with you," Sun noted.

"Looks like it," Ash responded, not complaining. "Let's get going then, we can wave you off when you get on the boat." With that, the three trainers headed back to the docks with a reluctant Mallow and Rotom in tow.

 ** _Later..._**

"Goodbye, Ash!" Sun waved his hand when he got on the boat. Moon was standing beside him, lazily waving too. "Kick Nanu's butt for me!"

Ash laughed. "You bet!"

"See you! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. It was rude not to say farewell. However, those rules didn't apply to Mallow since she didn't utter a single word.

"Hold on, Sun!" Ash cried out before the boat started to move. "I still got one more question. How do you know Acerola?"

Sun was hesitant to answer but complied to Ash's final question. "We used to date for several months until Nanu found out and didn't approve!"

"Eh!?!?!?!?" Ash and Mallow screamed, shocked by the revelation.

 ** _Earlier..._**

 _'Here goes nothing.'_

With Acerola in his arms, Sun nervously brought her face closer to his. He felt uncomfortable doing this with the enemy. He'd done it multiple times before, so why should this time be any different. Ignoring Acerola's mean glare, Sun quickly smashed his lips into Acerola's, earning a surprised squeak from her.

Acerola tried to push him off of her but felt the old memories begin to resurface. With that in mind, Acerola gave in to the kiss and wrapped her arms around Sun's neck, enjoying herself at the moment.

Mimi happily circled around the two, delighted to see the two back to their former selves.

Sun reeled back after a minute had gone by. Acerola squealed gleefully and placed her chin on Sun's shoulder, her body wrapping itself around Sun's torso.

"Maybe there could've been a different approach besides this." Sun sweatdropped as tiny hearts popped beside Acerola and Mimi's faces. Sun set Acerola down beside a tree and made his way back to the police station with Mimi behind him.

 ** _Present..._**

Sun strangely felt the area get warmer. He slowly turned his head left to see a scary fiery aura surrounding Moon. Her left eye was twitching madly, her teeth and fists clenched. A heavy scowl was present on her face.

"WHAT!?!?!?" Moon roared, a burst of flame releasing itself from her body. Sun yelped, feeling himself fall to the ground because of it. The boat started to move, which was also the time when Moon tackled him to the ground and clashed her fists behind Sun's head.

"No! Turn the ship around! Turn the ship around! Ash! Rotom! Help!" Sun cried out. His words weren't heard. The ship continued to move along with Moon's fists connecting.

Ash, Mallow, and Rotom watched on, fright evident on their faces. "Remind me never to make Moon angry," Ash said out loud.

"Noted." Mallow gawked at the scene.

Rotom shivered, having to be wary of both Sun and Moon. It didn't forget the threat that Sun gave him a few days ago.

"That might explain this. Bzzt." Rotom pulled up a picture of Sun and Acerola sharing the intimate act together.

"Ah! Rotom! Delete that!" Ash covered his eyes, embarrassed.

"Rotom! You were suppose to take pictures of Sun doing something bad. Not taking pictures of him eating someone's face!" Moon berated the talking pokédex.

Ash removed his hands from his eyes. "Wait a minute. Why are you two trying to take pictures of Sun anyway?"

"Busted. Bzzt!" Rotom urgently turned itself off and plopped down to the ground. It was either it or Mallow.

Mallow sighed, "I suppose it's better to tell you now." Mallow went on to explain everything that she and Rotom found. From the suspect list to the picture with everyone and their suspect level on it. After she was done explaining, she stared at Ash dead in the eye to see what he had to say.

The two stared at each for about a minute. Ash shook his head and meekly turned away.

"Ash?" Mallow wasn't sure why Ash was acting strange.

"O-oh. Right!" Ash stuttered. "So Rotom has these pictures, right?" Mallow nodded. "Mind if I see them for myself." Ash picked up Rotom and turned it on.

"Ah! Ash! Bzzt!" Rotom tried to shimmy its way from Ash's hands.

"It's okay, Rotom. I told Ash everything," Mallow said. Rotom was reluctant but allowed Ash to view the photos.

"I got some new ones too. Bzzt!" After Ash got done observing the photos from before, Rotom showed the two of them the new ones.

The first one was of Sun holding the gas mask and the smoke bombs. The next one was of Nanu outside of the smoke filled building. And the final one… the final one was of Sun and Jenercocio coming out of their escape route.

"That's the former Team Skull leader!" Mallow said with anger. "He is working for them! He helped Jenercocio escape prison!" Mallow paced back and forth in an effort to cool herself down. Ash had trouble believing it himself.

"No! Bzzt. After this picture was taken, this Jenercocio man knocked Sun down. I think Sun was forced to do it." Ash agreed with Rotom's theory, not wanting to believe the worst. Mallow, on the other hand, chose to believe her own theory.

"Even if you don't believe me, do you at least know that Sun is trying to hide something?"

"No argument from me there. But are you sure you should be snooping in his business. It might be personal like the deal with his dad," Ash defended his friend.

Hearing that, Mallow dropped her temper and it was replaced with a downcast look. "I never thought about it like that." She didn't like Sun sure, but she respected his dad and didn't want to disrespect his death like before.

"But the list!" Rotom broke in.

"We're not going into this any further," Mallow asserted. Ash placed a hand on Mallow's shoulder and smiled. It was the least he could do for bringing about Sun's dad.

"It does make me wonder. Who Sun is going to meet up with tomorrow?" Ash wondered out loud. The three were thinking of the same thing and stared at the setting sun.

 ** _On the ship..._**

Sun groaned on the floor, glad that Moon left him alone after hitting him senseless. He weakly pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed in a phone number. It started ringing and Sun brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey, just wondering if we're still meeting up tomorrow."

"For sure. Just arrived to Melemele Island. It's been a while since I've been here. The scenery is great for inspiration. Just what I needed to admire the composition."

"Typical. I'll call you back after I land on Melemele Island."

"Great. Just make sure you're not being followed. Over."

"Yeah..." Sun could've sworn he saw some metallic device hovering a good distance from the ship.

"Over."

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Long Author's Note: Before you tell me, Acerola looks too young to be dating, she's not. Trial Captains come from the ages eleven to nineteen and considering she is one in the games and manga, she's around the main characters' age. Just wanted to point that out, but then again most people have Ash or any pokémon trainer shipped while they're like around ten or something? Or people in general ship Ash the ten year old (should be older) with many girls. I guess not many people care but this is just for those who do._**

 ** _Most of you who read this may be really confused with the whole secret with Sun. I can tell you it'll make sense once his secret is out. I pit some hints in here along with prevpis cahpter so some of you might've figured it out by now. Feel free to PM me if you think you know it._**

 ** _Next chapter will deal with Sun and his accomplice that'll be revealed next chapter along with accomplishing their plans. Also, Lillie's whereabouts will be shown next chapter as well. Kiawe will have some sort of spotlight too. Not sure on a release date since I may just give up on weekly two chapter updates and change it to one. Stay tuned._**


	11. Lillie's Feelings

_**Author's Note: A long chapter this time around. I wanted to get a chapter in before the month ended. This chapter will deal more with Sun's secret. Nothing else much to say until after the chapter ends. Enjoy the chapter.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That's is all.**

 **xxxxx**

Ow!" Sun awoke from his slumber with a throbbing pain on the back of his head. Moon's jabs were a lot more rougher than he thought. He had to ignore it for now. Today was a big day and Sun couldn't afford any setbacks.

Sun looked over to the alarm clock and saw that it was six in the morning.

"Perfect. Right on time." Sun went to the bathroom to get himself ready for his day. Now in a new set of fresh clothes, he returned to the guest room to retrieve an item that he found yesterday.

"Suckers thought they could spy on me," Sun scoffed, inspecting the dismantled device. This was the same one that he spotted yesterday during the ride home. He got Decidueye to stealthy get behind it and snatch it with his talons. He quickly brought it to Sun and he took a page from Sophocles' book, unscrewing the device apart. It was a good thing because he found a self destruct mechanism inside it and removed it before it could detonate.

Sun planned to show his accomplice the device so they could check it out together. With that in mind, Sun pulled out the paper file from under his bed. It was the one that he stole from Nanu. He didn't open its contents yet, finding it wiser to read it with his accomplice. Sun stored both of these in his backpack along with several snacks that Moon gave him.

His accomplice always favored her work instead of eating. She'd be glad to see some snacks to devour. Sun zipped up his backpack, finally prepared to tackle on his busy day. He made sure to bring his pokémon with him on the belt clip on his waist.

Sun left the guest room and headed towards the exit of Lana's house. Before he could, Lana's mother greeted him warmly.

"Hello there, Sun. May I ask why you're leaving so early? Lana told me there's no school today," Lana's mother said.

"I'm going to possibly take down an entire big company with a partner of mine!" Sun replied innocently.

Lana's mother blinked. "Well… as long as you have fun!" She figured he was just messing around. "Why not take my daughter or Moon with you?"

Sun awkwardly shifted his feet. "Lana's still kind of mad at me. Same with Moon, but even more madder."

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow. "What did you do that's gotten my daughter angry?"

"Uhh…"

 **Flashback**

Sun and Moon arrived at Melemele Island and were outside Lana's house. It was nighttime so it was pretty hard to see.

"Don't make a sound. Wouldn't want to wake up the others." Sun was met with no response from Moon. She was still upset with the boy and refused to talk to him. "Never took you for the silent type, Moon," Sun mused, opening the door gently. He cringed when the door started to creak very loudly no matter how slow he opened it.

"Huh?" Lana rose from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the sleep in her eyes. There was a noise coming from the front door. Her first instinct was to believe that it was a burglar. Who else would come so late in the night? Lana covered the bottom half of her face with her covers and stared at her door anxiously.

There were hushed whispers that kept coming closer and closer. The blue haired girl whimpered softly and reached for the nearest object she could grab. It just so happened to be a vase. The footsteps of the burglars stopped at her door and the whispers cut out. Lana had to hold back a scream when the door knob started shaking. The angry voice of the burglar present.

The door knob finally clicked, informing Lana that the burglar had free access to her room. With all her courage, Lana let out a squeal and threw the vase at the intruder coming in the door. It smashed on impact.

"Ah! What the heck!? Argh!" The _'burglar'_ turned out to be Sun, who was clutching his forehead in pain.

"Hmph!" Moon pushed Sun to the side so she could enter the room and get comfy in her bed.

"Sun!?" Lana shrieked.

"Why would you do that!?" He shouted with equal loudness. "Who in their right mind throws a vase at someone!?" The pain wasn't going away any time soon.

"I thought you were a burglar!" Lana protested.

"A burglar!?" Sun sputtered, not believing he heard that right. "A burglar that you gave a spare key to your house and who called you in advance to tell you they were coming late!?" Sun was beyond mad at Lana's lack of understanding.

"Why were you breaking in my door then?" She asked, feeling guilty now that she realized Sun was right.

"Earth to Lana, did you forget you had a roommate!? Idiot!" Sun let his frustration get the better of him. He already built a lot of stress after the events from today and Lana was further increasing it.

"I-I'm sorry." Lana apologized, not meeting his eyes.

"What's going on here?" Lana's mother came with the twins in her arms. The commotion had woken them up. She noticed the pieces of ceramic on the floor.

"Lana hit me with her stupid vase!" Sun cried out, pointing an accusing finger towards the culprit.

"You gave me that vase!"

"And you destroy my gift to you!?"

"Alright alright. There's no need to fight." Lana's mother broke the building tension between them. "Go to your room Sun. I'll come check up on you after I put the twins back to bed. Lana, you can help me clean this mess up afterwards."

Sun huffed and went to the guest room still holding his forehead. Lana's mother carried the twins back to bed. Lana was sitting on her bed, not sure what to make of this.

And Moon? Well, she was laughing her heart out.

 **End of Flashback**

"Dear me, I've completely forgotten about that." It was then that she noticed the poké ball pattern band-aid on Sun's forehead.

"Seriously?" Sun deadpanned. "Now that you remember I should really be on my way." He was about to walk away until he felt her put a hand on his shoulder.

"Before you do, make sure to tell the twins goodbye. They weren't very happy yesterday when you left without telling them anything. Harper and Sarah should be eating breakfast."

"Fine." Lana's mother smiled as Sun walked off to go see the twins.

When he got there he was surprised to see them poking their food sadly. This wasn't like them to act so glum.

"Harper? Sarah?" Sun called out to them. The twins spared Sun a quick glance before going back to poking their food. "What's the matter? You act like someone crushed your hopes and dreams."

"That's because someone did!" They both exclaimed at once.

Sun recoiled and cracked his knuckles. "Who is it? I'll go teach them a lesson."

The twins exchange looks before glaring at the boy. "It's your fault!"

"Eh!?" Sun screeched in surprise. He retracted his fist back down, not wanting to punch himself. "What did I do?"

Harper was the one to speak up. "You yelled at Lana last night and got into a big fight with her!"

"Yeah! Now you won't ever marry Lana and become our big brother!" The twins held on to each other and wailed.

"This again…" Sun sighed, covering his blushing face with his hands. "Okay, how can I make it up to you two then?"

Sarah was the first to spring up from her chair. "Promise us you'll marry Lana!" Harper was on board with the idea and joined her twin in giving Sun the puppy dog eyes.

"Uhhhhhhhhh…" Sun couldn't promise them that! It was too embarrassing and controlling. But there wasn't any other way to cheer them up.

"Harper! Sarah!" Luckily for him, Lana came zipping past him and covering both of their mouths with her hands. "Don't make Sun promise things like that! It isn't right."

"Right… I'll just..." To avoid the sisterly conflict, Sun quietly left the house in a hurry.

"But, Lana!" Harper pushed Lana's hand off her mouth. "You two are made for each other!"

"No we aren't!" Lana protested, her face flushing more than it ever has.

"But it is true!" Sarah pulled out a familiar looking book. "It says so here in your diary! See!" Faster than light itself, Lana snatched the blue diary from Sarah in a heartbeat.

"W-where did you get this!?" Lana squeaked, hugging the diary close in her arms.

"Moon gave it to us!" Harper chirped innocently.

Lana felt all the color drain from her face. Moon, her temporary roommate, went snooping around in her room when she wasn't there. If she had her diary than she must've read it… all of it.

"Gah!!!" Lana shrieked, feeling like her life was over.

 _ **With Sun...**_

"Maybe I should pay off Sophocles' family so I can stay there for the night. Or until I can safely stay in my own house," Sun said to himself. He didn't know how much longer he can stand being in Lana's house. He shook these thoughts out of his head. Sun was on serious business! No time for silly thoughts!

"She said to meet her at the park. But I don't see her anywhere." Sun made it to the park and looked around. There was no signs that she was there. Perhaps she was running a bit late?

"Sun! Right up here!" A feminine voice hollered from above. Sun tilted his head up to see just the person he was searching for on one of the tree's branches.

She was a few years older than him. She had blonde hair that had pink splattered on the bottom sides and some above that. There was also pink paint beneath her gray eyes. Her clothes consisted of a light cream colored baggy shirt that had splotches of green and pink paint. A portion of a pink tank-top can be seen from her right shoulder. She wore grey paints along with a pair of gray sneakers. Lastly, a grey bag was slung over her shoulder that visibly held painting supplies.

This was Mina, also known to Sun as his partner and accomplice.

"Alola, Mina!" Sun greeted her, waving his hand in the air. "What are you doing all the way up there?" He asked.

Mina shrugged nonchalantly. "I wanted to see the view from up here. Its composition has some potential. Besides, there's an Officer Jenny here that's not in the best of moods. Something about kids destroying the park. I wouldn't want to cross paths with her," Mina said calmly.

Sun gasped, "Shoot! I forgot! Leave me some room up there!" Sun climbed up the tree and joined Mina on the branch.

"Any word from the boss yet? It has been a bit dull around here lately," Sun said, watching the kids at the playground having fun.

Mina closed her eyes. "Not really. Just this one mission of yours that you requested. Which you haven't explained to me what we're doing yet." She tapped her fingers on the branch, feeling the texture of it.

"That's because I got a little sidetracked this week. Had to help a friend train to beat Nanu." This caught Mina's attention.

"Nanu, you say? Any intel on him?" Mina inquired. "If you got caught Sun…"

Sun raised his hands up in defense. "Don't worry Mina. I almost did. I gassed up the place to get him out of there. There was some interesting information that I found but none so intriguing like this." Sun unzipped his backpack and pulled out the file that he retrieved. "There was a mistake on my end and I accidentally left my gas mask there. Nanu found it and gave it to me. He doesn't know for sure if it's mine but he's hot on my tail," Sun finished.

Mina smacked his injured forehead. "You shouldn't have got so careless, Sun! We're trained for situations like this."

"Aye! I'm sorry. It was a mistake that I take responsibility for. And don't act like your my superior. I've been in this business longer than you!" Sun responded angrily.

"You're a kid!" Mina shot back.

"A kid that recruited you and is _your_ superior!" Sun countered smugly. Mina grunted in annoyance. "Besides, that Acerola brat got in my way so can you blame me for being so careless?"

Mina snorted, "That little girlfriend of yours? What happened with her again?" Sun furrowed his eyebrows. She knew exactly what happened.

"Hardy har har. Very funny," Sun replied, unamused. "We got something to focus on and its this." Sun held the file. "I thought we'd look it over together so I haven't opened it since I got it."

"I'm flattered." Mina didn't sound very flattered to Sun. "Just open it already. The sooner we find some info, the sooner we can report back to the boss."

"Right!" Sun nodded. He opened the file and spread out everything on the branch.

"Over here." Mina and Sun read over the first note.

 **Departure**

 **Giovanni and I had a disagreement. Which is why I stopped working for him. We still keep in touch but my days as a pawn are over. I just give the information he needs and vice versa**.

"Fascinating," Mina muttered. Her eyes shifted over to the pictures that were in the file.

One of them had Nanu and one of their targets, Giovanni, shaking hands. The two came up with the conclusion that the Island Kahuna must've done something important to receive a handshake from the boss.

The second picture was of several pokémon, each having some form of Team Rocket attire on them.

The third picture made Sun's heart almost stop. He gently picked up the picture and stared at it intently. Mina noticed this and placed a hand on Sun's shoulder.

"Is that him?" Sun nodded solemnly. "You okay?"

Sun forced the incoming tears to stay in place. He put the picture in his bag. "I am. I just got my answers. Nanu is a part of it. I'm certain now. Whether Acerola had any knowledge on this is still a mystery to me but I have to keep my guard up."

"Here's the last couple of things in there." Mina grabbed the last three pieces of paper in there and read it over. For the most part, the first two pages was just general information of Team Rocket that they already uncovered in the past. It consisted of the ranks, jobs, pokémon, fallen members, completed tasks and their financial income.

The third page made her quirk her eyebrow. There were phone numbers in it. Each with a name and one of those happened to be Giovanni. The strangest thing about the third page was the numbers on the bottom of the phone numbers.

"Can it be some sort of puzzle we need to crack. You know, like those number code thingies?" Sun gave his input on the numbers.

"Might be. We have to call the boss and let him know of our discoveries," Mina declared, hopping off the branch with ease.

"But wait!" Sun tried to do the same but fell face flat on the ground. Mina chuckled softly at the failed attempt. Sun did a kip-up and flushed a bit. "I-I meant to do that!" He hoped to make Mina believe him.

"Whatever you say." Mina rolled her eyes. Regardless, she had a small smile on her face as she walked off.

"I'm telling the truth, Mina! Grr… you stupid idiot! I hope you run out of paint!" Sun shouted, unknowingly alerting a nearby officer.

"Hey! It's you!" Sun turned around to see the Officer Jenny from a few days ago. "Do you know how long it took to clean all of this up?!"

"Mina, save me!" Sun ran after the older girl in order to get away from the officer.

"Come on!" Officer Jenny sighed in exasperation.

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

 _Lillie could only see darkness. It was pitch black wherever she was._

 _"Psst… Lillie! Lillie!" She heard a familiar voice whisper to her. "Open your eyes, Lillie!"_

 _Doing what the voice told her, Lillie slowly opened her eyes and was met with a pair of dull blue ones._

 _"Heya, Lillie!" Lillie shrieked and fell on her back._

 _"S-sun!?" The blonde girl looked all around her. She recognized the place, it was right outside his house. His backyard to be exact._

 _"Woah! Be careful, Lillie! Here." Sun held out his hand for her to grab. Lillie kept her head down, confused as to what was happening. Why was she in Sun's backyard? Why was Sun acting so nice all of a sudden? Why did Sun care about her? As far as Lillie knew, Sun despised her just like Kiawe and Mallow. Lana… she wasn't sure about her._

 _"Come on. Don't keep me hanging." Sun gave her a reassuring smile. She took his hand and let him help her up. "There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" To further add to her confusion, Sun wrapped his arms around her and brought her in for a hug._

 _"S-sun." Lillie started to tear up. She wanted to savor this moment forever. Lillie crushed her face onto Sun's chest and held him tightly._

 _Sun chuckled, "Lillie, why are you crying?" His expression softened when Lillie tilted her head up, exposing her teary eyes._

 _"I-I don't w-want you to leave," She stuttered in between sobs._

 _Sun patted Lillie's head gently. "What do you mean? I'm still here. Whenever you want me with you, I'll always be there."_

 _Lillie hummed contentedly. The feeling of having Sun close to her again was a feeling she missed. She didn't care how she got in Sun's backyard. Him being there with her was all that mattered right now._

 _"Oh! I get it now! You arrived early for our date, huh? That's understandable. I'm pretty excited for that too!" Sun exclaimed happily._

 _"D-date!?!?!?" Lillie shrieked, backing away from Sun. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. When had she asked him out!? Or did he ask her out? Lillie didn't know and that was what made the situation worse. Or great? Or maybe-_

 _"Don't play dumb Lillie," Sun teased. "I'm the one who asked you." He walked over to Lillie and placed a kiss on her forehead. His lips lingered longer than it should've._

 _Oh how Lillie wanted to scream in joy right now._

 _She kept it in and gulped nervously. The blush on her face spreading to her neck._

 _"Now come on Lillie, I got the perfect place to take you." Sun grabbed her hand with his own and interlocked them together. He smiled brightly at her._

 _Lillie felt herself smile back. She didn't exactly know what was going on but she wasn't going to complain. She was going to enjoy herself… with her date, Sun. She hugged Sun's left arm and motioned him to walk with her._

 _The two started their walk together, enjoying each other's company._

 _"Say Lillie." Sun spoke up. "If I tell you to do something, will you do it?"_

 _"Of course I would," Lillie replied, nuzzling her cheek on Sun's arm._

 _"Wake up," Sun said with a sad smile. Lillie's eyes widened at the request._

 _"W-what?" Lillie's vision started to darken. "N-no! I want to be with you, Sun! Please!" She wailed, hugging Sun as if her life depended on it._

 _Sun inched his face closer to Lillie's ear. "Don't worry Lillie. I've already told you, I'll always be there for you." His smiling face was the last thing Lillie saw until her vision was overcome by darkness._

"Come back, Sun!" Lillie screamed, jolting up from her sleeping bag.

"Lillie!" Gladion awoke as soon as he heard his sister scream. He was resting his back against his sleeping Silvally, who also sprung up to action from the loud noise. Snowy was sleeping a few feet away from them. The blonde boy rushed over to Lillie, who was sobbing quietly on the sleeping bag.

"What's wrong Lillie!? Did you have a nightmare?" Gladion asked with genuine concern for her well-being. For a moment, Lillie stopped crying and stared at her brother before letting out a wail and hugged him for comfort. This action surprised Gladion.

"I want Sun back! I want Sun back!" She cried on his shoulder. "I want to see him again but now I can't! He's gone forever!" Unbeknownst to Lillie and Gladion, this wasn't the case.

"Lillie." Gladion didn't know what to say. He barely managed to handle Lillie when Sun first left a while back. Now she was depending on him to console her. This was the exact reason why she came after him, wanting to stay with her big brother. Gladion was about to decline but gave in and agreed to be with her for the day. He had things to do, and none of that should be done if she's nearby.

Now it wasn't like he was doing anything bad. Gladion was planning to do some training and having an emotionally hurt Lillie with him was going to be a distraction.

This situation was similar to before, with Lillie begging Gladion to bring Sun back. He didn't bother last time but found it necessary to do so this time around.

"Relax, Lillie. I'll… I'll just call mother and see if she can do something," Gladion proposed hesitantly. He was annoyed with his mother right now, but this was for Lillie. He was going to help any way he can if it meant for his sister's happiness.

"Y-you can't! It's her fault this happened in the first place!" She protested. To her dismay, Gladion started dialing in his mother's phone number. It started to ring.

"No!" Lillie grabbed his device and tried to take it out of his hands.

"Lillie!" Gladion yelled. As much as he loved her, she was behaving rather childishly. He needed to talk some sense into her. "If you want your precious Sun back then we need help! Mother has the resources to do this so let me call her!"

Lillie flinched at the level of his voice. She realized that he had a point. She let go of his device and bowed her head down.

"Thank you," Gladion huffed. He heard his mother pick up the call. "Mother-"

"Gladion! You've got to help me! Lillie's been missing since yesterday! Mr. Sun told me she didn't go to class and it has been worrying me sick!" The blonde boy saw his sister frantically shake her head.

Gladion got the answer that he needed. Since he was still a little mad at his mother, he muttered a quick goodbye and hung up. If Lillie didn't want their mother to know she was with him, then who was he to deny her wishes? But now that he thought about it more clearly, it was an awful thing to do.

 _'I'll call her later then when Lillie's gone.'_ Gladion thought. He almost smiled when he saw Lillie hug Snowy happily.

"Sun's still here! And he's in charge of class!" Lillie quickly gathered up her belongings and stored them in her bag. "You're the best Gladion! Thank you for letting me stay with you for a while. I want to head back to the school right now."

He let out a chuckle and hugged her one more time. "You don't have to thank me." He let go and cracked a small grin. "Now go on then, your friends must be worried sick."

Lillie's smile slightly wavered at that but she didn't let that ruin her good mood. "Goodbye, Gladion. Come on, Snowy!" Lillie eagerly sprinted back to the direction of the pokémon school with Snowy not too far behind.

"Mr. Sun, huh?" Gladion patted Silvally's head. "That means he's running the class." His face hardened.

"No way I'm letting that idiot know more than me!"

 _ **Later...**_

Lillie didn't stop running. She ran and ran to her destination at the Pokémon School. She passed people on her way, shouting fast apologies to those that she almost ran into.

Snowy didn't quite understand why her trainer was so rowdy this morning. But it was a lot better than yesterday when she was sulking for the better part of the day. Seeing her so bright and chipper was a big improvement.

Lillie and Snowy finally made it to the school about a half-hour later. The blonde girl barged through the entrance doors and sped through the flight of stairs. Once on the designated floor, her eyes landed on the doorway to their class. With the rest of her adrenaline from the running, Lillie ran inside the classroom.

"I'm here everyone!" She exclaimed loudly with Snowy adding in a bark. It was then that she realized that the classroom was empty. The two sweatdropped at the predicament in hand.

"Where is everyone?! It's still a school day!" Lillie made it to the balcony to see if she can spot any of her classmates outside.

To her immense luck, she found the person she was searching for.

"Sun!" Lillie watched as Sun was walking along the sidewalk with someone at his side. Upon further examination, she recognized the person as Mina, one of Sun's friends. Lillie met her at least twice. The first meeting was one of introductions when Sun came across her during their trip to Poni Island. The second time was during the party that Professor Kukui held for Sun. They politely greeted each other and that was all there was to it.

"Who are they calling?" Squinting her eyes, she could make out a phone that Sun was holding to his ear. He exchanged it with Mina and so on.

Not wanting to waste any more time as it is, Lillie forced herself to keep running.

 _ **Back to Sun...**_

"...we're going to go drop it off whenever that new recruit of yours decides to get here," Sun said to the person he was calling on the phone. He passed it over to Mina.

"For now, we're going to go near the Aether Foundation. Why? Well, it's for Sun's personal mission. The plan… Sun?" Not knowing the plan, Mina handed the phone back to Sun.

"There's nothing to worry about boss. My plan is an all stealth mission. We're going to the Aether Paradise because-"

"SUN!!!" Before Sun could finish his answer, someone tackled him to the ground, the phone dropped next to him.

"Geez! Who is it now!?" Getting tackled to the ground was starting to become a regular occurrence to Sun now and he hated it.

"It's that other girlfriend of yours," Mina mused.

"I never had another girl…" Sun slowly twisted his neck around to see a familiar blonde hair trickling down his neck. "Blondie!? Ah! Get off of me!"

Mina watched, amused at Sun's feeble attempts to get Lillie off of him. She picked up the Alolan Vulpix that came with Lillie and started stroking her head.

"Mina…" Sun growled. "Help me! I am your superior!"

"As my superior, you should show me how to escape a needy person's grasp," Mina replied. She was having too much fun with this.

"I'll tell boss that you slack off with your work and dump it all on me because you'd rather paint. Boss will demote you for sure!" Sun threatened.

"Fine fine. You kids can be quite bothersome," Mina sighed. She put Snowy down and put her arms around Lillie. "Let go." She tried to yank Lillie off of him but her grip rivaled that of an Arbok.

 _'I need a different approach.'_ Mina thought about what she should do next. _'Wait a minute.'_ A sudden realization struck her. She viewed the two with different angles.

"Such composition! Definitely looks the best with the ocean as the background," Mina noted, setting her bag down so she could take out her painting supplies.

"Mina… for the love of Tapu, help me!" He thrashed around in different directions but Lillie still kept her hold on him.

What neither of them knew was that the phone was still on and the call never ended.

 _ **Near the Pokémon School...**_

Kiawe stood a good distance away from the group. He was currently on an important mission. Mallow had called yesterday evening to tell him to keep an eye on Sun. She didn't give him any details on the task but Kiawe complied to it anyway. He was there to see Lillie make a beeline to Sun.

"Maybe I should give them some space," Kiawe said to himself, watching Lillie _'reuniting'_ with Sun. He remembered that Mina was there and chose not to leave. He met her once during the party that the professor held for Sun.

"Why is she painting a picture of them?" Kiawe could see Mina using one of her paint brushes to paint on a blank canvas. This wasn't good. Nothing interesting was happening. They were just taking a stroll around the area so why had Mallow insisted that he should spy on Sun?

"This is so boring." Kiawe decided to sit against a tree and wait until something eye catching happened.

 _ **Back with Sun...**_

"Boss is so going to let you have it once I tell him everything you've been doing!" Sun fumed.

"Can it. I'm about halfway done," Mina scolded him before returning to her work.

 _'The nerve of her! Oh please let there be a savior for me this time around!'_ Sun pleaded in his mind.

"I got it! If you don't help me then I'm going to tell boss that you always spit in his coffee whenever he's not looking!" Sun smirked, knowing that he had her. Their boss drank coffee every morning. Whenever their boss came to visit them in the mornings to hear their briefing, Mina would spit in his drink. She complained about getting dragged into any mission when she was out painting and this was one way she got her payback.

"Please. Boss will never know. So I suggest you be quiet so I can concentrate." Mina knew Sun wouldn't rat her out. The reason to this was because she'd force him to be silent. That mostly involved physical contact and not the good kind.

"Ahem." A voice cleared their throat. Mina dropped her paintbrush. Her blood went cold. Her jaw dropped to the ground.

"B-boss!" Mina tumbled to the ground to collect the phone. Her usual calm demeanor vanishing. "I-I didn't know we were still on the line."

"Drag her boss!" Sun demanded. "Demote her! Give me a new partner! Promote me for having to deal with her!" He yelled, still suffering the wrath of Lillie's hug.

"Don't listen to him sir! We were just horsing around!"

"Nothing but a lie you vile woman!"

"Why you…"

"Enough!" The voice shouted, causing the two to stop bickering. "I don't have time for this. I'll deal with you later, Mina. Go continue your mission and head to the Aether Paradise. Report back when the new recruit gets there." The call ended.

Mina smacked her head on the canvas. The boss was sure to demote her! She just knew it!

"The Aether Paradise?" Lillie inquired, losing her grip for a few seconds. This was all Sun needed to escape from her clutches.

"Freedom!" Sun clung onto Mina's leg so Lillie wouldn't get to him again. "Protect me, Mina!"

"Get off of me you idiot!" Mina hissed, kicking her leg, which caused Sun to land on the ground. "You may have cost me my position!"

"It's not my fault you opened your big mouth!" Sun fired back, standing up and having a face-off with her. He lost some credibility when she beat his height by two inches.

"You should've ended the call!"

"You should've freed me like I asked of you! Maybe I would've found the phone and ended the call but no! You wanted to be lazy and paint!"

"Um… guys." Lillie's comment went unheard by the arguing partners.

"Painting the beautiful composition is not a lazy hobby! And you didn't have to go on to tell the boss to demote me, jerk!" Mina snapped.

"If you were a bit kinder to me then I wouldn't even have those thoughts!"

"Guys…"

"I'm never painting the sun in any of my artworks again!"

"As if I care. This is a good time to tell you. Everytime you painted me and asked how it looks, I lied about how wonderful it is. It's an abomination! You made me look like a Trubbish!"

"Guys…"

"Why I never!" Mina placed a hand over her chest, offended. "Just for that, I'm ripping every painting I have of you and throwing them in your bedroom as a reminder of how _awful_ they are!"

"Jokes on you, I don't live there anymore!" The two had electricity coming out of their eyes which clashed with each other.

"GUYS!!!" Lillie screamed, breaking the two from their fight. "Why are you two going to the Aether Paradise? And what's this about a mission?" She asked, crossing her arms and waiting for a reply.

Mina and Sun's eyes turned to dots. They nearly exposed their top secret assignment to a civilian. The duo scurried off a few feet away from her and huddled up.

"Nice going, Mina! Now she's on to us!" Sun accused her of exposing the secret.

"This is _my_ fault!? She's _your_ girlfriend! I didn't agree for her to come here with us!" Mina responded with fury.

"Lillie's not my girlfriend. I don't expect you to know about stuff like that. You've never been in a relationship to begin with!" That struck a nerve in Mina. Her pride was dwindling because of someone younger than her. Her eyes went back to Lillie. She started to observe the younger girl, examining her long blonde hair and green eyes. Lillie resembled someone very familiar.

"Hold on. Sun, who's that girl's mother?" Mina wanted to make sure her theory was correct.

"Lusamine. What's your point?" Sun answered, not figuring out her motive for asking the question. He was met with a hit to the back of his head.

"You dolt! If she's Lusamine's daughter than we can use her to get access to the Aether Paradise!"

Sun blinked. "But I can gain access easily. I personally know Lusamine," He pointed out.

"It'll look suspicious if we both show up there and snoop around for whatever you're searching for! We can use her to distract Lusamine while we go out to look together. The two of us can cover more ground!" Mina explained. Her plan was making a lot of sense to Sun. "If you ever tell me what it is," She added in, annoyed.

"You're a genius, Mina! Don't worry. It'll all be revealed when we get there. For now…" Sun and Mina exchanged glances before standing next to Lillie in a matter of seconds.

"Heya, Lillie! It's a surprise to see you here. Not that I'm complaining." Sun put an arm around her and smiled charmingly. It always worked on Acerola back when they were dating and he needed something from her. That something was usually permission to go training with his pokémon when they were together. This was further proven as effective with Lana when he needed a place to stay.

As for Moon… she never declined any of his requests when he did it. That doesn't mean he took advantage of her. Sun would get the money that she would steal from him back. Their friendship wasn't a normal one if he had to describe it.

To his luck, it worked out better than he thought. "O-oh! That was a n-nice thing to say, Sun." Her blush deepened when she shyly made eye contact with Sun.

"Might I say you look lovely today. Scratch that, you _always_ look lovely," Sun said, feeling some heat rush to his face.

"Th-thank you. Th-that means a lot coming from you." Snowy wiggled her nose, confused as to why Lillie's face was redder than a tomato. Mina shot Sun an all knowing look that he responded with a glare before reverting his gaze to the stuttering Lillie.

"Hmm..." Sun brought Lillie in closer and took a whiff of her hair. He ignored the tiny knots forming in his stomach. "Wow. You smell great. Is that a new conditioner you're using?"

Lillie nodded shyly and played with a lock of her hair. "I-It is. Thanks for noticing." Her heart was beating more faster than usual. She loved the familiar warm feeling in her chest.

Mina gave Sun a thumbs up, motioning him to go in for the final move. After that, he'd ask her to lead them to the Aether Paradise so they could continue on with Sun's personal mission.

 _'This is for him…'_ Sun thought in his head, his personal mission on his mind right now.

Sun put his hands around Lillie's waist and pulled her in for a hug. "I missed you," He said, feeling her tangle her arms around his neck.

"I-I missed you too!" She cried out, her heart melting at his words. Her tears were running down freely from her eyes. This was exactly what she needed after having that disheartening dream. The dream Sun was right, he was always going to be there for her. None of her friends were here to badger her to keep away from him.

Sun's eyes widened. He didn't expect her to be this emotional. The fact that he was doing this to use her into gaining access to the Aether Paradise was making him feel very guilty.

 _'I'm doing this because I want to. This isn't about my personal mission right now. I feel bad for her. That's it. It's not like I'm forgiving her or anything. Not a chance that that will happen. No siree. She can-'_ His thought process was cut off when Lillie squeezed him a bit tighter, sniffling. He mentally sighed and placed his chin on top of her head.

He saw Mina out of the corner of his eye and waved her off with a scowl because she was staring. Mina understood the gesture and went to go put her supplies back in her bag.

The two embraced each other for minutes. Lillie felt all of her worries disappear. She was with Sun now, that's what mattered. The feeling slightly fell apart when Sun let go.

"You asked us why we were going to the Aether Paradise. We're heading there mainly so I can catch up with your mother. Mina found me on my way there and wanted to tag along too. She's never been to the island and thought it'd be a great place to muster up some new inspiration," He lied swiftly. He came up with it on the spot. He didn't want to tell Lillie the truth because this personal mission mainly focused on her mother. If she were to find out she'd surely put an end to it quickly. That and he didn't generally like her anyway.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"What of the mission?" Lillie frowned when he mentioned her mother.

"The mission," Sun repeated so he could think of a lie. "That's just what Mina insists on calling it. It's her mission to go to the Aether Paradise and I can tell you from personal experience how cranky she gets when she can't paint something that has _so much composition_." He could see Mina glare at him but ignored it so he wouldn't blow his cover.

"Who was that man you were calling? You two kept calling him boss and sir." Lillie questioned, her interests rising.

"He's… well, he's…" This time, Sun couldn't think of a fib.

"He's our new boss," Mina cut in, saving her partner. "We work for him. It's an art related gig. Sun's my manager and I paint pictures and sell it." Sun had to give her credit where it's due. That did sound pretty convincing.

"And what about the promotion and demotion thing that Sun was talking about?"

"Man, is this twenty questions?" Sun muttered under his breath.

"I just told you we work. Is it that hard to to piece it in?" Mina rolled her eyes. She was having enough of Lillie's pestering.

"Oh! My bad." Lillie realized how silly that sounded. "I got one more question if you don't mind."

 _'I do.'_ Sun and Mina thought at the same time.

"Who's the new recruit?"

"Couldn't tell you. Even we don't know who it is," Sun admitted truthfully. "Whoever it is, they'll pick up our work when we're finished. Which reminds me." Sun placed his hands on Lillie's shoulders. "Can you take us to the Aether Paradise? I know I can do it but it'd be a lot easier if it was you."

Lillie hesitated. If she were to take them then that would mean seeing her mother too. "I don't know…"

"Please, it'll be _really_ awesome if you did." Sun gave her his best impression of puppy dog eyes. They were nowhere near as good as the Lana's younger twin sisters, but to Lillie, that was a different story.

"I guess I can..." Lillie trailed off when Sun ecstatically kissed her forehead, just like in her dreams. And like in her dreams, Lillie was about to explode with joy.

"Alright! You're the best, Lillie!" Sun gave Mina a low-five to celebrate their success. "Come on then! We should get a move on!" Sun grabbed her hand and started dragging her to the direction of the Aether Paradise.

Lillie slyly interlocked their fingers without Sun noticing. She had a goofy smile on her face as she let Sun take her with him.

Mina chuckled and shook her head. "Kids." She followed the two without any more words being exchanged.

 _ **With Kiawe**_

"Now's my chance!" Kiawe saw an opportunity to move and took it. He stealthily followed the three to wherever they were heading. During this, Kiawe reflected back to what he witnessed.

The first and most shocking thing was when Sun and Lillie hugged it out. What made this shocking was the fact that Sun hugged back! He'd never imagined seeing the sight again. That and he even planted a kiss on her forehead. Kiawe thought Sun wasn't capable of emotions anymore since he betrayed them without a care.

"Lillie seemed to enjoy it," Kiawe noted to himself. It was something he was going to remember for future references. But for now, he had a task to complete.

Kiawe didn't know how long he'd been following them. By the time he checked his surroundings, he found that they were at the Marina again.

"If I get on a ship with them they'll surely catch me doing so." Kiawe had to make a battle plan so he can execute it without any problems.

But a problem arose when he felt someone's hand on his bare shoulder.

 _ **Back with Sun...**_

"Sun! I got a bad feeling about this," Mina warned him. They made it to the Marina so they could get on a ship that traveled to the Aether Paradise. Along the way, she had a eerie feeling that they were being watched. This increased as they got to the Marina.

"Yeah, me too," Sun replied. During the trip to the Marina, he finally noticed the intimate gesture he was doing with Lillie and untangled his hand from hers. "Let's just get on a ship before something bad happens."

Lillie couldn't make sense as to what they were saying. She didn't feel like she was being watched. "Nothing bad can happen. We're at the Marina. You two are being silly."

Sun facepalmed. "You just jinxed us, " He groaned. To prove his words, a firm voice made itself known.

"We found her!" A man in white clothing shouted. Soon, dozens of men and women came out of their hiding spots and surrounded the three. Sun recognized who these people were.

"Hey, you're those goons that work for Lusamine!" He grinned when the ringleader sneered at him for the title.

"You're in big trouble buddy. You and your friend there are going to be locked up for kidnapping the president's daughter!" The man declared, stunning both Sun and Mina. Lillie grimaced from the mention of her mother and covered her face with her hands. This was by far one of the most embarrassing things Lusamine has ever done.

"We didn't kidnap her! She… uh…" Sun pressed his luck on his excuse. "... she kidnapped us!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Sun. Mina and even Lillie herself stared at him as if he grew another head.

"Sun…" Mina closed her eyes, controlling her urge to hit the boy for his dumb excuse.

"We got another one!" Another voice called out. Sun sighed in relief that the attention he was receiving went away.

They all watched as another man was holding Kiawe's arm. "I found this lunatic spying on these three."

"Spying!?" Mina and Sun cried out in surprise.

"Hehe. I wouldn't call it spying. More like, carefully observing." Kiawe smiled nervously. He was thrown in with the three.

"Sup," He greeted casually.

"Dude…" Sun sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The first rule about spying is to never get caught."

"Rookie mistake," Mina chimed in, equally disappointed with Kiawe.

Kiawe's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "How would you two know wh-"

"Silence!" The ringleader bellowed. "Rescue the president's daughter and detain the kidnappers and stalker!" He pulled out his phone and dialed Lusamine's number to inform her of the good news.

"St-stalker!?" Kiawe sputtered. It sounded so much worse than he thought it would. He didn't consider his actions to be related of that category. Then he had an image in his head of him watching the three from behind a tree. "Okay. I see it now."

The members of the Aether Foundation secured Lillie and took her away from the three without a second thought. More members closed in on Kiawe, Mina, and Sun.

"Time to put you in solitary!" Two of them got in between of Sun and joined their hands together.

"Noooo!" Sun wailed, finding himself trapped in their clutches.

"Seriously?" Mina deadpanned, watching Kiawe suffer the same fate. He was panicking too. "What's so bad about that!?"

A female member got in front of her while another got behind Mina. They too put their hands forward and connected them together.

"Oh… now I see." Mina shivered, feeling the effects of being trapped in solitary.

"Set them free!" Lillie ordered the ringleader. She was worried for their mental health in being confined in solitary.

"No can do. Crimes dwelled upon that of the president or her daughter will not go unpunished!" He said sternly.

"But they're not criminals. They're my friends!" She replied honestly.

The ringleader gasped, "This is more serious than I thought. They're mind controlling you to believe that they're your friends! We have to reverse this immediately after the president arrives and confirms it!"

Lillie saw no point in arguing with the man so she decided to wait until her mother arrived to set them straight.

Ten minutes have gone by and the sound of a helicopter was heard. The flying vehicle landed and Lusamine came rushing out of there.

"Lillie! My precious! You're safe!" Lusamine coddled Lillie in one of her hugs.

"Mom!" Lillie was having the Sun treatment, being unable to move because of her mother's grip. "I was fine the entire time! Gladion was with me!"

For a moment, Lusamine's eye twitched. "Gladion?! That son of mine hung up as soon as I said you were missing and I needed help! So did that Sun! Where is he!?" She wanted to reprimand Sun for making her worry so much.

"He's over there. These people think he and Mina kidnapped me while Kiawe stalked me," She explained the situation at hand.

Lusamine gasped when she spotted Sun in solitary. "Dear me! Sun! You release him at once!" She barked at the two members. The blonde haired woman rushed over to the whimpering Sun on the ground.

"Poor Sun. It must've been awful in there!"

"I-It was! It was so dark and spooky! The space was so tight. I never want to go to solitary again!" Sun accepted Lusamine's hug gratefully.

"Help us too!" Mina and Kiawe said in unison. Lusamine didn't have the heart to glance at the two.

"Set them free too!" Mina and Kiawe were set free.

"My innocence!" Kiawe croaked fearfully.

"That was truly an experience," Mina started. "I can use these emotions in my new painting!" She fished out a notepad and wrote the idea down.

Lusamine held the grieving Sun in her lap. She glared at the ringleader responsible. "What were you thinking. You can't lock them in solitary. They're much too young for that!" She chastised the man.

He, in response, bowed apologetically. "Please forgive me president! I was only thinking about your daughter's safety! I wasn't thinking clearly!" He apologized sincerely.

"Oh?" Her eyebrow raised. "And how will you fix the damages on these poor children?" She pointed to Sun and Kiawe. Mina seemed to have gotten over it.

"Hmm." The man snapped his fingers. "I know. Who wants ice cream?" He asked cheekily.

Kiawe and Sun's eyes sparkled. "I do!"

 _ **At the ice cream shop...**_

Sun and Kiawe were currently enjoying their triple scoop ice cream cone. The man had graciously paid for the treat and apologized once more before taking his large group and headed back to the Aether Paradise.

"Yummy!" Sun licked his second scoop which was strawberry flavor.

"Boy did I forget about anything that happened when I got to the Marina!" Kiawe said with Sun nodding in agreement.

"Quiet down you two. I'm trying to focus." Mina was sketching a design from the emotions she felt from being in solitary while helping herself to the single scoop mint flavor ice cream that she got.

Lusamine smiled at the sight of the three enjoying themselves. But there was one who wasn't sharing their attitude. And that was her daughter Lillie, who glumly licked her ice cream bar that was shaped to be a yellow sun with orange edges.

"Lillie dear, what's the matter?" No response. "You know you can talk to me about anything." Still no response. "I promised to be a good mother and not neglect you or Gladion anymore. How am I supposed to help if you won't even talk to me?" She said a little louder than she intended it to be.

That seemed to trigger something out of Lillie. "Sun almost left because of you! There's a boundary between being caring and caring too much. You keep on getting in our business when we don't want you to!"

Seeing a fight about to break down, Sun bolted into the ice cream shop with Kiawe and Mina in tow.

"I thought you wanted me to care! Now you're telling me I care too much? Lillie, do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"That doesn't change the fact that you're prying in our business too much. Like with Gladion! You walked in on his love life and he got really upset over it," Lillie argued before sighing. "I really don't want to fight like this anymore. I don't like it. Will you at least promise that you won't dig into personal things in public."

Lusamine understood what she meant now. She had said to Gladion about his crush in front of everyone. Plus, she teased her daughter in public too. It was understandable why they're so upset about it now.

"I promise. But since we're in private right now." The blonde woman leaned in. "What's going on between you and Sun?"

"Mom!" Lillie swatting her hand away. The mother and daughter duo stared at each other for a few moments before laughing. The teasing wasn't as embarrassing since no one was near to hear it. Lusamine was amused with her daughter's reaction whenever she brought up Sun.

"I'm glad we aren't arguing anymore," Lusamine said, embracing her daughter.

"Me too," Lillie replied. They hugged for a few seconds more before letting go. "Sun asked me to take him and his friend, Mina, to the Aether Paradise so he can catch up with you. Mina wanted to go so she can paint," Lillie informed her mother.

Lusamine's smile widened. "Then I'm going to have a long conversation with Sun. There's been so much that happened since he left. But that'll have to wait." Lillie frowned at that. "Because I'll be putting work to the side and I'm attending the fireworks festival tomorrow!"

Lillie's frown turned upside down. "Wow! Really? I almost forgot about the festival! The professor was going to take the class to go to the festival together. But I don't know where he is." She remembered earlier when she came across the empty classroom.

"Professor Kukui is at the Aether Paradise. We've been discussing about the Pokémon League. But that's beside the point right now, I'm going to head back and sort out any last minute duties. Actually, I think it might be better if you and your friends come and pick us up. We've been planning for quite a while and found ourselves too enamoured with the work."

Lillie smiled. "Then I'll do just that. We can go to the festival as one big group! It'll be tons of fun!" All Lillie could think about is spending time with Sun at the festival.

While Lillie did that, Lusamine found something odd sticking out of Sun's bag. She gazed over at the ice cream shop and saw Sun and the others still eating their treat. Since the coast was clear, Lusamine snatched his bag and unzipped it fully.

"M-mother! What are you doing!?" Lillie heard her mother gasp when she pulled out a beaten up device.

"Lillie, do you know what this is?" Lusamine went on after seeing her daughter's confused gaze, "This is something that the scientists have been working on. It hasn't been unveiled to the public and only two known devices were built. It has been kept under wraps fairly well." Lusamine shifted her attention back to the innocent appearing Sun who was watching Mina draw.

"Question is, how did Sun get his hands on this?" The two sat there in silence. Lillie went over what her mother said while Lusamine tried to think of multiple possibilities as to why Sun had this.

"E-excuse me," A voice said nervously. Lusamine turned her head to see a girl who looked about the same age as Mina. She had lilac eyes and lilac hair that was done in a ponytail. She wore a black suit with matching black gloves. She appeared to be shaking a bit.

"My n-name is Anabel. I'm here looking for Sun and Mina," Anabel introduced herself meekly.

"In there." Lillie pointed to the ice cream shop, not finding any problem with it.

"Th-thanks," Anabel thanked them and opened the door to the building. Immediately, she was taken out of there by an angry Sun and an annoyed Mina. They dragged her a good distance away from the ice cream shop.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Sun berated her. "What are you doing dressed like that? You're drawing more attention to yourself. You must be that newbie that boss sent us." Mina was dialing their boss' phone numbers while shaking her head at the rookie's lack of common knowledge.

"Boss?" Anabel wasn't sure if she heard that correctly.

"It's an inside joke. A joke that a dumb rookie wouldn't understand!" Sun crossed his arms and had his back against her.

"I-I apologize. I just figured I'd dress like this to impress you two." Anabel examined the two. "So I'm guessing you're the superior?" She said, pointing at Mina.

"You're on thin ice, rookie!" Sun growled while Mina chuckled at Anabel's assumption. "I'm the superior."

Anabel blinked. "But you're just a kid."

"That's it!" Sun exploded. "Wait until I give a report to boss on how unruly you've been. He's already going to let Mina here have it so don't think he won't get on your back too!" He was going to make good on his word.

"Yeah… I think you should take it instead." Mina passed over the phone to him. "Sorry rookie. You shouldn't have had your head in the clouds. Your job will be over before it even started."

Anabel panicked. "Ah! Not on my first day! Please Sun, I'll do anything. Please don't tell him what I've done!" She begged.

The phone picked up. "Hey there boss," Sun said, glaring at Anabel. "Yeah, the rookie got here. And boy is she a…" Sun couldn't help but feel bad when Anabel got on her knees and silently pleaded for him not to say anything ill about her. He put a hand over the phone's speaker. "Ugh. You're lucky I'm in a good mood after eating that ice cream." Anabel collapsed on the ground, relieved by what she heard.

"The rookie is decent enough. My location?" Sun stared up at the sign. "Vanilluxe's Icy Treats. The mission? Well, we got ambushed by the Aether Foundation at the Marina. They locked us in solitary."

"How awful!" Anabel placed a hand over her mouth in horror.

"But don't worry. We managed to escape," Sun reassured the boss. "What about the rookie? Oh right! She came to pick up the thing. Yep! I'll just go get it and give it to her." Sun handed Anabel the phone and took a few steps to the area that his bag was in.

His face paled when he saw Lusamine with the device in her hands. The two had a stare-off. A stray tumbleweed skidded past them.

"Sun," Lusamine said calmly. "Where did you get this?"

Sun gulped and inched closer "Heh. Heh. Funny story. It all began when-woah! What the heck is that!?" Sun screeched, pointing forward with alarmed features on his face. The moment that Lillie and Lusamine turned around, Sun nabbed the device from Lusamine's grasp and grabbed his backpack.

"Retreat!" Sun sprinted past Mina and Anabel with no signs of stopping. Mina swiftly ended the call from Anabel's hands and followed Sun.

"Huh?" Anabel was flabbergasted that her team ditched her.

"Hurry up, rookie! Don't just stand there!" Sun hollered to her.

"O-oh right! Well, bye." She bid farewell to the mother and daughter before running after Sun and Mina.

Lusamine scowled, "That Sun is up to something and I'd be ashamed if I don't figure out what it is!" She was losing her temper by how sneaky Sun acted.

"I'm sure it's just all a big misunderstanding!" Lillie told her mother. Her words fell deaf in her mother's ears.

Lusamine tapped chin quizzically. "There has to be some way to find out what he's up to." Her eyes landed on Lillie. "That's it! Since you see him everyday, you will go and keep an eye on him."

Lillie frantically shook her head. "No! That's wrong! I'd never do anything terrible to Sun."

Although Lusamine hated to do this, she needed some way to set her straight. "Really? Never you say? Then what's this I heard a few days ago about you being a jerk to Sun before he left Alola the first time and almost did the second time?" She knew she hit a nerve when Lillie looked like she was about to tear up from the comment itself.

"Oh no. Lillie dear, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Lusamine quickly brought in her daughter for a hug. "I'm just trying to look out for my foundation. If Sun were to have other motives then I want you to keep him from doing so. Do you at least understand that?" She felt Lillie nod her head.

"I know how much you care about Sun. Up to the point where you believe he wouldn't do anything bad. But tell me this, are you willing to expose Sun if he were to fulfill these deeds? The fate of the Aether Foundation and Paradise might rest on your hands."

Lillie felt hot streams of tears fall freely from her face. Her mother was making her choose.

"Will you stick by Sun's side or stand up for us?" She tried to look for a way out of it. Her eyes drifted to where Sun stood before he ran off. There was something that he dropped.

"Wait." Lillie trudged forward and picked up the item. She gasped loudly when she got a good look of it.

It was a picture with three men. One was Nanu, one was a mysterious man with brown hair and a Persian. The third one… the third man was-

"Lillie?" Lusamine inquired her weird behavior.

She quickly slipped it under her hat when she heard her mother approach. Her mood was struck down more now that she saw the photo.

"That man… that was Sun's dad."

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

"Good riddance," Sun mumbled as Anabel took her leave after receiving the intel she was sent out to get.

"Takes me back to the days when I first started out. You ordered me around whenever you could." The two shared a chuckle. They didn't have much else to do. The day was ending and they were back on the tree branch where they first met up in the morning.

"I did but you have to admit that it helped you shape up to be the agent you are today," Sun said with a dry grin.

"Whatever you say kiddo." They sat in a comfortable silence. Mina still had a question for Sun. "Are you ever going to tell me what this mission even was to begin with?" To her disappointment, Sun shook his head.

"It's better explained when we're there. And that won't be for a while. I got to hang low for a few days since Lusamine is getting suspicious."

"Don't forget about that daughter of hers. She might rat you out if you're not careful," Mina advised him. Sun didn't say anything to that. "What's the plan for tomorrow then?"

"Plan?" Sun questioned. "These last two days have been a pain. I want to enjoy myself. There's this festival that's happening tomorrow that I'm going to check out. I've already made plans to meet up with my pal, Hau, there."

Mina faked a hurt look. "And you didn't invite me? So much for you being a gentleman."

Sun laughed. "Gentleman? I'm far from that!" He joked heartily. "But you're free to come if you want. There'll probably be some _marvelous composition_ for you," He said, doing air quotes with his fingers.

"Rude." Mina bumped him off the branch. He face planted to the ground, similar to earlier in the day. "And I may just pop up. Later kid." Mina left without another word.

"Classic Mina," Sun mused, picking himself up. The sun was setting, reminding him to head back to Lana's house before it turned dark. With that in mind, he walked away from the park and to his final destination of the day.

 _ **At Lana's House...**_

Sun knocked on the door, hearing the television was on. He was welcomed in the house by Lana's mother.

"Welcome back, Sun! You've been gone all day! You must be hungry." Realizing that all he had today was an ice cream cone, Sun toppled to the ground clutching his rumbling stomach. "I'll take that as a yes. We just finished dinner. There's an extra plate for you that I prepared in case you arrived during dinner."

Sun bolted to the plate of food on the table and devoured it hungrily. Lana's mother smiled and took a seat diagonal from him.

"Did Moon behave while I was gone?" Sun asked in between bites.

"Uh well… you may want to go check out your temporary room," She replied a bit nervously. Sensing something wrong, Sun quickly finished the last bits of his meal and hurried over to the guest room.

Upon opening it, he could see Moon sleeping soundly on the bed, her Squirtle plush in her arms as usual.

"What's she doing on my bed?! More importantly, why is she not in Lana's room!?" Sun had a tick mark appear on his forehead. He had the urge to barge in Lana's room and dump Moon there himself.

Lana's mother sweatdropped. "Lana and Moon had a bit of an argument about privacy. So she kicked Moon out of her room. I didn't want anyone sleeping on the couch so I told her she can… bunk with you," She finished, preparing herself for Sun's disapproval.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Sun groaned, placing his back on the wall and skidded down on the ground.

If this was like anything back when they traveled together and sleeped outside then that meant…

 _ **Later...**_

Sun decided to just deal with it, knowing what he was in for the morning. Lana's mother hauled the mattress that Moon used in Lana's room and brought it over to Sun and Moon's room. Sun was currently forced to sleep on the mattress while Moon ditched the plush and resorted in hugging the pillow instead. She opened her eyes and stared at the sleeping Sun.

"Sunny?" Moon whispered to him. "You awake?" He didn't respond, still deep his sleep. "Finally. I thought you wouldn't have come back until really late." The bed started to creak, indicating that Moon had left it.

"I'm sorry for being such a meanie yesterday. Hearing about you being with that Acerola girl made me mad. It should've been me instead," Moon said, now hovering above the sleeping Sun. "But that's over now and I have you all to myself." She place a soft kiss on Sun's cheek before laying down next to him on the mattress.

"No one is going to steal you from me. Not Acerola, not Lana, and certainly not that blondie." Moon hugged Sun's arm possessively.

"You're mine and mine only whether you like it or not." Moon could feel her eyes get drowsy.

"It's your fault for making me fall for you, idiot."

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Long Author's Note: I hate myself right now for making Moon like this. It was originally supposed to be Sun and Lillie but now I'm having a tough time choosing between her and Moon. It's going to be one or the other, no harems because how just can't see that fit in the Pokémon Universe. Anyway, the next chapter will be a bit of a filler but will also start the next episode of the anime towards the end of the next chapter. I'm not really sure how a festival works but I'll do my research and find out. Some of you have been asking to have Ash and Mallow go out on a date. With that in mind I'll have them both go to the festival together. It's sort of a date in a way I suppose. As for the Sun situation, you all should know who the boss is since Anabel is with them. Anabel is about Ash's age I'm assuming since she had a crush on him in earlier anime, but she looks way older in the games so I made her a bit older. Mina appears in the chapter and she'll make her debut in the anime later this week. I hope I got her character right, if not I'll tweak her character in this chapter after it airs. Sun will show a different side of him after the festival and in the next anime episode (Episode 78) which may lead to a mini-arc focusing on him. That's about it right now for this long A/N to put my thoughts out to you all. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	12. The Hard Truth

_**Author's Note: This is my second story that has hit one hundred thousand words! And I've only done one and a half of the anime episodes so this story is far from over. Thanks for all the follows/favorites and reviews! They are what keep me motivated to continue this story. This chapter will feature a couple of flashbacks and is more serious than the previous lighthearted chapters so be ready for all of that. Also I lied, this chapter isn't the fireworks festival, it'll be the next one. I originally did mean for the festival to be here but it never happened. Instead, I decided to give Lana and Mallow the spotlight. It's more so showing the development of their character because of Sun's inclusion. They barely get any development in the anime so I thought I'd change that. This will go for Kiawe and Sophocles , too in future chapters. One last thing, I done did it again. I got Moon out of the picture only because I made her mean but then Lana came along. Now Lana and Lillie are in my head on who Sun should be with. Enough of my rambling, enjoy the chapter.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all**.

 **xxxxx**

Sun began to stir from his slumber. He let out a yawn and tried to rub his eyes with his hands. He could only lift up one but struggled to do the same with his left.

"Hrng!" He could hear someone growl on his left side before he felt something tug his arm painfully.

"Ow!" Sun yelped, instinctively attempting to retract his left arm in pain.

"Hrng!" The pain further increased, making Sun want to get out of there to make it stop. He tilted his head to see what was causing the excruciating pain. His question was answered when he saw Moon laying beside him, now fully awake too.

" **Stay…** " She snarled in a sinister tone. Her eyes turned red to add to her already frightening presence. To add to this, Moon yanked his arm to the point that he felt it almost come out of its socket.

Sun frantically nodded his head. The red in her eyes vanished and the heavy scowl on her face turned into an innocent smile, as if nothing happened. She affectionately nuzzled his arm, sprouting the familiar trio of hearts beside her face. Her eyes closed, indicating that she had fallen asleep again.

"Why me?" Sun whimpered, staring at the window tearfully. He could hear someone knocking on the front door but ignored it. The lingering pain was getting to him. To pass the time until Moon would wake up, Sun watched the floating hearts circle above the two.

Meanwhile, the already grumpy Lana opened her door. The door was knocking and her mother asked her to open it since she was tending to the twins. As for Lana, the reason for her grumpiness led to one girl, and her name was Moon.

She cringed when she thought about the fight that took place yesterday.

 _ **Yesterday afternoon...**_

It was noon, Lana had just finished reading through her whole diary, trying to see if she had any more embarrassing secrets that she wrote in there.

She had a ton.

Lana threw her diary at the wall. The heat radiating from her face was growing. Not of embarrassment, but of anger. Everyone assumed that she never got angry because she was shy. That wasn't true, everyone had their limits and Lana just reached hers.

The blue haired girl got up from the couch and marched over to her room, knowing that Moon was still sleeping.

"Moon!" Lana shouted, opening her door harshly. Seeing that she was still asleep, Lana resorted into using a technique that she used in her a few days ago.

"Owie!" Moon cried out, a stinging pain on her cheek. Her eyes narrowed at Lana as she placed a hand over her cheek. Since Sun wasn't in the house, Moon could finally let it all out.

"What do you want?" Moon hissed, shades of her temper when she first arrived in Alola flaring up.

"Y-you… read my diary!" Lana fumed. "You read it when I wasn't in the house. That was a complete invasion of my privacy! How could you do that!?" Her eye twitched when Moon carelessly shrugged.

"I got bored," She answered lazily. "Now how about you leave and let me continue sleeping."

"This is my room!" Lana said angrily. "Don't act like this isn't a big deal. You read my diary! One of the things I can tell anything to. But now you read it and even gave it to Harper and Sarah. I want an apology now!" She demanded.

Moon furrowed her eyebrows. "Apologize? For What?" She didn't let Lana speak. "For reading about your little crush on Sun?" Moon dropped the nickname for the boy.

Lana lost her tough demeanor since Moon just proved her theories correct. She knew about her biggest secret that she wanted to keep hidden.

Moon didn't stop there. "That's right. I know about your stupid crush on Sun. And I'm going to tell you right now." Moon got up from the bed and stood in front of Lana. "Don't get in the way. Sun. Is. Mine!" Moon declared, pressing her forehead against Lana's aggressively.

"W-why are you being so mean?" Lana asked softly. "I-I thought we could be friends."

"Friends!?" Moon sputtered. "Please! If Sun wasn't here then I would've been gone from here the minute that I arrived. The only friend I need is Sun, plain and simple." Moon's eyes turned into hearts. "And then one day, we'll be more than just friends! I can see it now, Sun and I will get married as soon as we come of age. We'll settle down in Vermilion City and have two kids, one boy and one girl. I've already picked out the names, Sol and Luna!" She cooed, hugging herself and closing her eyes.

"B-but Sun might like someone else," Lana responded, shattering Moon's vision. "He did go out with Acerola before. I saw them hanging out near the shopping mall in Iki Town." Unfortunately for Lana, she chose the wrong words to say to Moon.

"If I was in his life before, he wouldn't have ever gone out with this Acerola chick I keep hearing about!" Moon snapped. "Besides, who else would Sun like? You? Don't get me started." She arrogantly tilted her head up, appalled by the mere idea. "You'd never even try anything forward with Sun. Unlike me, I've actually been making it clear to Sun how much I like him," She boasted, patting herself on her chest proudly.

"Right…" Lana muttered, causing Moon to explode.

"Pipe down, why don't you? And don't even try to deny it. You'll never be as confident as me. I mean, this is coming from the girl who gets flustered by a boy touching her arm."

Lana gulped, "I-I don't know what you're-"

"Don't play coy." Moon picked up her cell phone from underneath her pillow. "I'm pretty but that doesn't mean I'm not smart. I just so happen to have a couple of entries from that silly diary of yours. This one dates back to nearly five years ago! So you two met when Sun was six, I presume?" She didn't wait for Lana to respond. "Meh, that's the past. The present is what's important. But this is some pretty juicy stuff. Let me read it."

Moon smirked and began reading from her phone. "Today's been one of the most greatest days in my life. I made two friends today. There's this girl who's dad runs Aina's Kitchen and her name is Mallow. And then there's this really nice boy who helped me and Mallow out. His name is Sun. I wonder if we can spend more time together. All three of us." Moon began to burst into laughter. "This is rich! But wait! There's more!"

"Please stop…"

"Ahem." Moon cleared her throat. "Earlier today, Sun and I were out fishing by my house and we were accidentally touching elbows! I couldn't move a muscle and I don't think he noticed it because we stayed like that for the rest of the day. We didn't catch anything today, but Sun did catch something, and that's my…" Moon's face scrunched up in disgust. "Seriously? Ugh, that's so cheesy."

"What are you trying to prove? Haven't you embarrassed me enough?" Lana was staring at the floor, not daring to meet Moon's eyes.

"Sure I have," Moon answered nonchalantly. "But this ought to teach you a lesson on being careful on who to have your eyes set on. There's way more where that's coming from. Like this." Lana could only stand and watch as Moon was reading her life out loud. She wanted to desperately stand up to her but found her legs unable to move.

Regardless, Moon continued, "Sun's done something awful today. I found out that he's joined forces with Team Skull. I don't think I can ever forgive him for this. After all that we've been through, he goes and stabs all of us in the back. I don't want to tell Harper and Sarah about it, it'll break their hearts as much as it did to me. I thought we had this special connection but I guess he doesn't feel the same way. Even if he did do all of this, I don't think my feelings for him will go away anytime soon," Moon finished reading with a frown on her face.

Lana's face burned redder each second. This was one of the main reasons she wanted to keep her diary hidden. If Sun were to find it… Lana would hide in her house all day.

Moon's frown switched into a menacing grin. "You know, I have Sun's number. I wonder what he would say if I were to send these pictures to him." Like Moon planned, Lana started to freak out.

"N-no!!!" Lana shrieked. "If you do then I'll never be able to show my face in public again! Sun will tell everyone!"

"That's the plan. With you out of the picture, I'll have Sun all to myself," She chuckled dryly. "Now… which picture should I send. I know! How about all of them!" Moon cackled evilly and began to insert every picture of Lana's diary in the message.

"Stop!" Feeling a boost of confidence surging within her, Lana sprung into action and grabbed hold of Moon's phone.

"Hey! Let go!" Moon and Lana had a tug-of-war going on with a phone. Lana found herself being overpowered and was losing her grip. Tears started to brim at the corners of her eyes. The possibility of her biggest secret coming out without her consult.

"Hiyah!" Moon won the battle and yanked her phone from Lana's grasp. Unfortunately for Moon, the power of her yank was too much for her to handle and she accidentally let her phone fly from her hands. The two girls watched as the phone soared through the air and landed with a splash on the small pool of water that Lana let's her Popplio swim in.

"Phew." Lana sighed in relief. All evidence of her secret was gone. Now all Lana had to do is safely secure her diary better.

"My phone!" Moon cried out, seeing her device fry up underwater. "Why you…" She faced Lana with a furious expression on her face.

Just then, the door opened and Lana's mother came in.

"What's going on in here? I can hear you two yelling from the kitchen." Lana hurried over to her mother and hugged her body.

"I don't want Moon in my room anymore! Kick her out of this house!" Lana sobbed quietly on her mother's side.

"Whatever. I hate this room anyway. I'll just go bunk with _my_ Sun." Picking up her bag, Moon stormed out of the room.

"There there." Lana's mother patted her daughter's back comfortably. "I'll go have a talk with Sun and Moon. We can't kick Moon out you know."

"Why not?"

"If we do, I don't think Sun would appreciate that so much. He'd probably go with her too. You wouldn't want Sun to leave, would you now?"

"No…" Lana answered sadly, knowing that that could most likely happen.

Lana's mother smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Cheer up, dear. I'm sure whatever you two were fighting about wasn't that bad." She left Lana to her own thoughts.

"You have no idea…"

 **Present**

Lana could feel the heat rush to her face because of the cause of the fight. It was all because of her secret crush on a boy and his name just so happened to rhyme with fun.

It just sort of happened. She couldn't recall when. They didn't spend so much time together when they got older but that was a different story when they were younger. The trio of Sun, Mallow, and her would be seen hanging out with each other every day.

Mallow would mention how she broke Sun out of his shell and that she would do the same to Lana. To Lana's amusement, it wasn't Mallow who faded away her shyness.

It was Sun.

Maybe that was why she admired him so much. He was there when Lana fought off the Team Skull members from her soon-to-be partner, Popplio. Lana vividly remembered the day that they first fully met.

 **Flashback**

It all began on a bright sunny day…

Lana was sitting on the outside of Aina's Kitchen. Her mother was in the restaurant helping out the owner of it. So while she waited for her mother to finish, Lana sat on the grass and pulled some of the green strands out.

This was normal for Lana. She didn't have any friends due to her shy nature. Occasionally her mother would take her to the park so she could interact with the other kids her age. But Lana ended up playing with the sand in the sandbox alone.

One kid caught her eye. There was this boy with long black hair that one time came over to play in the sandbox too. They were minding each other's business. Well, the boy mostly was. Lana curiously watched the boy, not knowing if she should say anything. She didn't notice him call out to her until he playfully tossed a handful of sand in her pail.

He asked if he could borrow her shovel since he forgot his. Lana nervously handed him her shovel. The boy smiled warmly at her, making Lana not want to look up until he left. From that day on, the blue haired girl watched the boy with keen interest. The thought of introducing herself to him came in her mind at times but they were quickly dismissed since Lana believed that he wouldn't have cared. Her low self-esteem was one of the major roadblocks in making friends.

A Mudray was in front of her. It wasn't doing much, just waiting for Lana's mother to come back too. It resorted into poking its mouth in the dirt, making a small hole.

"What are you doing?" A voice said, startling Lana in the process. She tilted her head up to see a green haired girl about her age. She wore a pink shirt, white shorts, and mint green overalls. She had her hands on the railings bars, staring at her with a wide smile.

"What are you doing?" The girl repeated. Lana couldn't find the words to respond, sputtering up some random words.

"Yo," Another voice said. A boy was sitting on top of the railing with a calm smile on his face. This was the same boy that she met in the playground before. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a picture of a Ninetales on it and black cargo shorts. On his head was a black cap with a blue outline on the edges. It had a poké ball like symbol on it.

Seeing him made Lana even more unresponsive. Noticing this, the green haired girl got up from her crouching position and skipped down the stairs. She stood beside Lana, slightly bended down and stretched out her hand.

"I'm Mallow, from Aina's Kitchen! Nice to meet you! Who are you?" Mallow introduced herself cheerfully. The boy made his way down the stairs too and came closer to the shy girl.

"And I'm Sun. Like the sun in the sky! We met before but we didn't talk. What's your name?" Sun asked, annoying Mallow. What Lana didn't know at the time was that the two were in an argument.

"Hey! I asked her first!" Mallow said to Sun.

"And I asked her second. What's your point, green?" Sun shrugged, brushing Mallow off.

Mallow pouted and stomped her foot to the ground childishly. "I told you I hate that nickname!"

"I know, green."

"Stop it! How would you like it if I call you a dumb big star?!" Mallow crossed her arms, glaring slightly at Sun.

"I wouldn't like that at all!"

"L-lana," Lana said quietly. This caused the two bickering kids to stop and face her. Mallow grinned and grabbed Lana's sleeve.

"Let's go!" Mallow dragged her up and was about to take off.

"Hold it!" Sun gripped Lana's other sleeve. "Where are you going with my new best friend?"

"Best friend?" Lana whispered to herself, feeling a warm feeling in her chest.

"And when did she become your new best friend!?" Mallow screeched.

"When my old one got on my nerves and splattered flour all over my face!" Sun retorted, stunning Mallow long enough for her to lose her grip on Lana's sleeve. "Come on Lana, my new best friend. I know the perfect spot to take you."

Lana blushed, not used to having a boy so close to her.

"She's my new best friend! I invited her first!"

"I met her first so that means I known her the longest. You're a complete stranger to her so she'll be going with me." Sun clasped his hand over Lana's to ensure her position with him. He unknowingly caused Lana to have a tingly shock go through her hand.

"No! She's with me!" Mallow grabbed Lana's other hand and the two started to pull on each side of Lana. The blue haired girl could only suffer the wrath of the two as she was pulled left and right.

"Kids? What's going on over there?" Abe called out. Sun and Mallow stopped their fighting and smiled innocently at the restaurant owner. They both looked at each other and grinned madly.

"Dad, _we're_ going to go play with Lana!" Mallow replied back to her father, hooking her arm around Lana's left arm with Sun doing the same with her right.

"And then we're going to take over the world!" Sun added in.

"Sure!" Abe chuckled, knowing that Sun was joking around. Maybe. Well, he wasn't sure when it came with Sun most of the times.

"Don't go too far!" Lana's mother advised the three.

"Sure!" Sun and Mallow replied, giggling as they took Lana with them. The three were running for a few minutes.

"This way! This way!" Lana didn't know what was going on. She could only hope that she wasn't going to get hurt.

"Jump!" Before Lana could register what was said, she tripped and slid under a big log. She tried to squeeze her way out of there but found herself stuck.

"Lana!" Sun and Mallow knew the place well and hopped over the log. Seeing their new friend in danger, they both landed in front of her and each grabbed a hand.

"Pull!" The two started to pull with all their might so they could rescue their new friend. Lana could feel herself start to slide out of there, inch by inch until-

"Wah!" Lana popped out from under the log and crashed into someone.

"Yay! You're free!" Lana slowly pushed her hands up the unfamiliar surface and opened her eyes. She was met with the sight of Sun's pale blue eyes and his smiling face. Lana realized that their faces were a few inches apart.

"Ah!" Lana tumbled to the side. Her head was dizzy. She was breathing rapidly, her heart beating faster than it normally would. What was this new feeling?

"Come on!" Sun picked her back up. "We're not that far now!" With a yelp, Lana was forced to run along with her two new mischievous friends.

A few minutes later, they came at a stop near a bush that was covering the view in front of them.

"Here we are! This is our favorite spot!" Lana gasped, marveling the beautiful sight. There was a large patch of flowers everywhere. Trees surrounded the area and a bright shine of sunlight brought more life to their surroundings.

"Sit with us!" Lana, Mallow, and Sun sat on the soft comfortable flowers. Lana was admiring the view, not paying attention on what Sun and Mallow were doing.

"There! A bracelet!" Lana felt something around her wrist. She blinked, bringing in her wrist closer so she could examine the flower bracelet that Mallow gave her.

"Here's my gift!" Then, Lana could feel something being wrapped around her head. "A flower headband for your headband!" Lana patted her head and felt the small flowers brushing against her fingers. She was already wearing a yellow headband so it was weird having another flowery addition to it.

"Honestly, I didn't even notice that you already had that yellow headband on. If I did, I would've made you something else. And it's a bit too big," Sun admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I hope you still like it."

"Sun's gifts are always the best!" Mallow chirped. "He gave me this." She pointed to the stem that was around her head. It had a pink flower that hasn't fully grown yet. It's been like that for a year, making Sun and Mallow wonder why it hasn't grown. It may have been due to the lack of soil. Who knows?

"It's lovely, Miss Aina's Kitchen and Big Star." Mallow and Sun exchanged glances before laughing.

"No, call me Mallow!" Mallow gave her an assuring smile.

"And call me Sun!" Lana looked to her left and saw Sun smile heartily at her.

Lana shifted her gaze between the two but set her eyes on the boy. "S-s-s…" Lana whole face shined a bright rosy red. Sun's smiling wasn't helping her either. The blue haired girl gave up and stared down at the flowers, beyond embarrassed.

Mallow and Sun looked on, worried for their new friend. The sound of wings buzzing filled their ears. The three kids turned their attention to the pokémon flying by and wandering off into a different direction.

"Wow. It's a Cutiefly!" Sun informed them, an awestruck gaze on his face.

"Let's chase it!" Mallow suggested. Sun nodded and the two got up.

"Come on, Lana!" Sun held out a hand to her with Mallow doing the same. Seeing no other option, Lana complied and took both of their hands.

"Onwards!" Mallow and Sun laughed happily as they chased the Cutiefly with Lana.

On the way, they didn't notice Lana crack a small smile.

 **Present**

That day was one she'd never forget. After being alone for quite some time, she finally made some friends. Lana recalled the time when she and Mallow went back to the Grandpa Forest with their friend, Ash. When he asked about how they knew the place, Mallow told him what went down but completely cut Sun out of the story. It was a bit shocking, considering how he put himself on the line when an Abominable came aggressively. The pang of guilt was definitely there during Mallow's explanation.

"Coming!" Lana shouted to the person knocking on the door. She didn't realize that she spaced out for a while. She opened the door and was surprised to see who it was.

"Alola, Lana!" Ash Ketchum greeted his friend.

"Alola, Ash!" Lana smiled. "Not to be rude but what are you doing here in the morning?" She asked.

Ash was looking in through the doorway. "Sun's still staying with you, right?" Lana nodded. "Lillie's gathered all of us up and asked that you and Sun come with us too! It's for the fireworks festival today!" He said excitingly.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu cried out, equally ecstatic for the festival.

"Oh… well." Lana knew it'd be rude of her to make Ash go get Sun himself. "I'll go get him. Wait here please." She left Ash outside the house and walked towards the guest room.

 _'Calm down, Lana. Just because Moon is there doesn't mean you should worry. She's probably still sleeping.'_ Lana thought to herself. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Moon again after the whole incident, but she was going to have to get Sun.

"Sun?" Lana quietly opened the door and called out his name. Her heart dropped when she saw him. There he was, laying down on the mattress with her least favorite person. Moon was hugging Sun's arm, a gentle smile on her face as she slept soundly.

Sun's head perked up. "Lana! Great timing! I need you to help me-" Lana abruptly closed the door, cutting Sun from whatever he was going to say. She pressed her back against the door and skidded down to the floor.

Moon was right. She was making it very clear to Sun how much she liked him. She was being very forward, something that Lana could never accomplish. Maybe Moon was right, maybe she should just get over Sun. Her chances weren't even there to begin with.

Remembering that Ash was still waiting for her outside, Lana glumly got up and returned back to the front door.

"So is Sun coming out or…" Ash trailed off so Lana could answer his question.

"Yes! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. "I must question him some more!" Apparently, Rotom wasn't giving up on its investigation yet.

"Rotom!" Ash hushed the pokédex. He was aware that it was supposed to be a secret since Mallow and Rotom did their best to hide it from him. One look at Lana showed the she didn't care. Something was bugging her.

"What's wrong Lana?" Ash asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.

"Nothing," Lana mumbled, keeping her eyes down. "As for Sun, he's…" She stopped, her fists clenching up. If there was one thing that she'd always remember about Sun, it's the encouraging speech that he gave her.

 _'If you_ _keep on letting people push you around, you'll never make any real life decisions on your own. If you want something then you have to try your hardest to get it. Be more assertive Lana! More independent! More tough! You can't be depending on me always being by your side, Lana. If you can do things on your own then I'm sure you'll be the brave confident girl you always want to be!'_

Sun was right. If she wanted something then she'd have to work hard to get it. And she knew exactly what she wanted.

With newfound determination, Lana spoke. "...we'll meet up with you all. We have to get ready first."

Ash didn't know why she suddenly reverted back to her usual self. But it was good to see her not sad. "Great! We''ll meet you at the Marina! See you there, Lana!" Ash waved her goodbye and went off with Pikachu in tow.

Rotom, however, stayed. "If you see Sun doing anything suspicious then you let me know-"

"Rotom!" Ash hollered its name from afar. Rotom didn't stay around after that.

"Anything suspicious?" Lana inquired. It didn't make much sense to her so she shrugged it off and closed the door. Taking a deep breath, Lana headed back to the guest room and stood by the door.

 _'Okay Lana, just tell Sun to stop cuddling with Moon and get up so we can meet the others.'_ Just like before, Lana quietly opened the door and slowly came inside. Something changed.

"Sunny…" Moon muttered in her sleep. She was cuddling with a large pillow. Sun was out and about, sitting on the other bed while clutching his arm. He finally noticed Lana and lightly scowled.

"What the heck, Lana? I try to ask for your help and you shut the door on me?" It was then that Lana remembered they didn't leave on the best terms. The last time they interacted ended with Sun getting hit by a vase.

Moon began to stir a little, causing Sun to yelp and bolt out the door. Lana followed, confused, and gently closed the door.

"Phew!" Sun collapsed on the couch and sighed. "I thought I'd never get out of there."

"What do you mean?" Lana questioned. She thought Sun _loved_ to be with Moon.

Forgetting about being upset with her, Sun started to vent out his frustration. "It's Moon. She's being so clingy lately and I don't like it. She wouldn't even let me get up from bed. I knew she'd do this without my consent. Back when we traveled together in Kanto, we often slept outside and I'd always wake up with her sleeping bag next to mine. She's great and all but I like my personal space to not be invaded all the time," Sun finished.

Lana mentally cheered at this. Moon's tactics weren't working at all on Sun! In fact, Sun hated it!

"But she's my best friend so I can't stay mad at her forever," Sun said with a smile, recalling their time together.

"O-oh." Lana's disappointment was evident in her voice.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Sun snapped his fingers and pointed an accusing finger at Lana. "You smashed your stupid ugly vase at me!"

"You gave me that vase!"

"And you destroy my gift to you!?" Sun shouted before blinking. "Haven't we already had this discussion?"

"Yes!" Lana groaned.

Sun slumped over the couch. "Ugh." The two were silent for a while. Sun raised both his hands to the air. "Say, remember when I got you that vase?" He asked softly.

"During my seventh birthday. You said you made it all by yourself and worked very hard on it." Lana had a small smile on her face.

"Wow. You remember after all those years?" Sun chuckled, astonished with her memory.

She giggled. "It was a gift from you. That's why I kept it for so long." Lana blushed, realizing what she said. "O-oh I-I-"

"Relax," Sun said. "I think it's pretty cool." She was not expecting that answer. To save herself from further embarrassment, Lana changed the topic.

"A-ash came over a few minutes ago. He wanted us to go to the Marina with him."

Sun jumped up from the couch. "Sweet! I can ask him how the battle with Nanu went! And with the festival coming up, we should get there in a hurry! Come on!" Sun dashed to the door and was about to head out to the Marina only to realize that Lana wasn't beside him.

"Something up?" He turned to see Lana still in the same spot.

"I'll be right back!" Before he could say anything, Lana ran to her room. Being a polite houseguest, Sun waited patiently for her. When she did come out and became visible to his view, Sun couldn't help but gasp at what she was wearing.

"I-Is that the…" Sun couldn't believe it.

"Yes." Lana clasped her hands together and looked Sun in the eye. She did her best to ignore the fast thumping noise in her chest. "It's the flower headband you gave to me as a child."

"Wow. Y-you still kept that old thing. Wow. Just wow." Sun huddled up next to her and inspected every inch of it. It was a little roughed up but you could only see it if you looked up close. Nevertheless, it was still maintained in great condition.

"It's very special to me. It's a symbol of my first real friendship." Lana was about to mention that she kept Mallow's gift too but knew it would have ruined the moment.

Sun stared at Lana intently, finding a new appreciation for her. If it was that special to her then she must've really cared about their friendship before.

"Hehe. Gee Lana, you know how to make a guy get the feels." Sun laughed awkwardly, feeling a warm sensation spread around his body. He felt proud that his gift was really important to her.

"R-really?" Lana squeaked, believing that his words had some other context in it. Regardless, it made her feel happy.

Sun pulled out a poké ball. "It's a long walk from here if we go on foot. Ninetales has been itching for a good run. I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving us a ride. What do you say?" Sun closed his eyes and had a big grin on his face.

 _'I don't think he hates me anymore.'_ Lana thought. _'But I still wonder why. Well, if he doesn't hate me then I shouldn't either. Maybe if we get close enough, I could ask him why. Until then...'_

"Sure!" Lana responded joyfully. Sun nodded and released Ninetales from her poké ball. The ice-type pokémon barked as a form of greeting.

"Hey there, girl!" Sun petted Ninetales' head, much to her delight. "You mind giving us a ride to the Marina? Your training has made you very strong. You up for it?"

Ninetales barked, as if saying that she's up for the task. The fox pokémon bended her upper body down so the two can get on.

"Thanks!" Sun got on her first and patted the spot behind him. "Let's not keep Ash waiting!"

Lana quickly took her seat behind Sun, wrapping her arms around his midsection. Sun did the same but with Ninetales' neck.

"I really do need a ride pokémon." Sun made a mental note of that. "Or at least have some sort of equipment for you. But I don't think there are any for some pokémon of your size." He liked to travel a lot. Especially when he was taking his Island Challenge. The thought of getting a ride pokémon occurred to him a few times, but he'd forget about it later on.

"If you want, you could borrow my Lapras whenever you want," Lana offered.

"I might just take you up on that offer," Sun replied. His intention with the offer would be beneficial for him. Though, he didn't reveal it to Lana.

Ninetales, being used to Sun's weight, got easily adjusted to Lana's small body like the last time when the two rode the fox pokémon when escaping the Officer Jenny in the park. Her training with Sun made her boost her physical strength.

With that, Ninetales sprinted to the direction of the Marina, carrying the two laughing trainers.

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

Nearby, a duo of mischievous people along with their cocky pokémon were currently flashing their new purchases.

This was Team Rocket's own, Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"Serving that boy must be the greatest thing that has ever happened to us. We're rich!" Jessie exclaimed gleefully. She sported multiple jewelry dangling on her neck. She also had three expensive rings on her hands.

"I'll say! Sunny boy is money boy!" James added in. He wore a new pair of gloves of a soft finer fabric with a golden watch on his left hand. There was a gold belt buckle on his belt and several shiny golden chains on his neck.

"I feel like a million poké dollars!" Meowth said. Although he wasn't wearing anything, he frequently flashed a toothy smile, presenting his golden grill on his teeth.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet cried out with his sunglasses that had jewels embedded in them. Mimikyu didn't have anything fancy as none of them knew what it wanted.

Their moment of happiness was ruined when the familiar Team Rocket transmitter started to shake.

"Ah! Not out in the open!" James panicked. The trio quickly rushed over to a nearby set if bushes and trees. The device opened up and revealed a purple hologram. It revealed a women in a violet suit that matched with her hair. She wore glasses that were over her violet eyes.

This was Matori, also known as the boss' secretary.

"It's time for your regular report," Matori said in her usual stern voice.

Jessie chose to speak for her partners. "We're doing just fine! If you can't see that then you need a new pair of glasses," She taunted while also showing her new accessories.

Matori for once actually appeared surprised. "I see. So you three have accumulated in a wealthy amount of finances. Have you invested in buying new equipment that'll assist you other than wearing it?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"O-oh! Um…" Jessie didn't have an answer for that.

"And how did you gain such vast amounts of wealth?" She pressed on, bringing her head in closer.

James stepped in. "Sunny boy helped us!"

Meowth elbowed his side. "You dolt! His name is Sun. Not this sunny nonsense!"

Matori's interests arose. "This Sun, you don't mean the boy who was almost the champion of the Alola region?"

Jessie shrugged. "That's what we heard. What's it matter to you?" Just then, a loud voice could be heard behind them.

"Woohoo!" Meowth poked his head up to see Sun and the twerpette riding on a Ninetales at a fast speed.

"That was just him," Meowth informed them, getting back in their hiding spot.

Matori turned around for a minute before facing them. "The boss wishes to speak with you three." She stepped to the side. The boss was there, sitting in his desk. The serious expression on his face told the trio that this meant business.

"I've got a new mission for you three," He said with no emotion in his voice. "Follow that boy, report back any intel you get of him. When you gather enough information, you will let me handle things from there. No questions asked."

"But what are you going to do with h-" James started before he was cut off by the boss slamming his fist on the desk.

"No questions asked! Do I make myself clear?" He repeated louder. The trio gulped and nodded. "Good. I advise you three to keep an eye out while you're spying him. He has multiple targets on his back. Don't get caught!"

"Yessir!" Jessie, James, and Meowth shouted in unison.

"One last thing. Add that Decidueye of his to that list of pokémon you're planning on getting. This is your new mission," The boss finished, letting Matori take over once more.

She pushed her glasses back. "If you want to impress the boss then this is your chance. This is your biggest mission yet. Don't let him down." The call ended, leaving the trio in a stunned silence.

"I knew there was something about that boy," Jessie said, breaking the silence. "But why does boss have so much interest in him?

"You heard him, no questions asked," James reminded her.

"You think this Decidueye is stronger than that Pikachu?" Meowth questioned out loud.

"Whatever the deal may be." Jessie didn't answer the question. She got up from their hiding spot. "We can finally gain the recognition we so rightfully deserve!" James nodded in agreement.

"Right. And I can replace that rotten Persian and sit on boss' lap instead!" Meowth declared.

"Then we'll accomplish this mission! We're Team Rocket and we can do anything!" Jessie claimed.

"Yeah!" James and Meowth said at the same time.

"We'll each get what we want!"

"Yeah!"

"It's a kid. We should complete this in no time!"

"Yeah!"

"We… should really buy that equipment," Jessie sighed, not looking forward to not being able to buy the expensive crown she had her eyes on.

"Yeah…" James and Meowth agreed without the enthusiasm in their voice.

 _ **At the Marina...**_

"Where are they!?" Mallow impatiently tapped her foot to the ground. Her, Ash, Lillie, Kiawe, and Sophocles were waiting at the Marina.

"Sun and Lana will be here. Lana said so herself," Ash replied calmly.

Mallow reeled back. "What do you mean?" Before Ash had the chance to answer, Lillie gained their attention.

"There they are!" True to her word, the group turned to see the two riding on Ninetales. Ash and Sophocles smiled while Mallow, Kiawe, and even Lillie were confused by what they were seeing. Sun was with Lana?

"Yo, Ash!" Sun waved a hand to the air, seeing his friend. His face fell when he saw the others there too. Specifically, Kiawe and Mallow.

"Woah woah woah! What are they doing here?" Sun asked Lana as they stopped once they were near the group.

"Guess I might've left the part out by accident," Lana admitted. Ash told her the others were going to be there. She failed to inform Sun about this.

"Something's stirring! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, watching the scene unfold.

"Lana, what are you wearing!?" Mallow demanded, though knowing full well what is it. "Nevermind that, why are you wearing that stupid thing?" Sun could feel the anger boil in his veins. Mallow was striking a nerve by messing with Lana. He was so used to defending Lana back in the day, this time was no different.

"Stupid? Way to hurt my feelings, green." Sun faked a hurt expression that switched to a mean glare.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Mallow shot back.

"Well now you are!" Before it could escalate any further, Ash stepped in between them.

"There's no need to be fighting guys! Today is supposed to be a fun day!" He pointed out. Thankfully, this caused one of them to stop fighting. Mallow turned her back against Sun and crossed her arms.

"Better listen to _your boyfriend_ , green," Sun snarled, not giving up. "Seems like he's the only one that can control that nasty attitude of yours!"

"Sun, knock it off." Ash tried to calm down his friend. But even he couldn't control Sun's temper.

"Come on, green. What? Are you too scared to talk now? I thought you had all these nasty things to say to me so come on." Sun put his hands in his pockets. "I'm waiting. Now is a perfect time to tell me."

The others glanced around awkwardly, not knowing how to handle the rising tension.

Still, Mallow didn't budge.

"Really? Nothing? Go on, make me look bad. If there's a jerk around here then it'd be you. You're even trying to start something with Lana of all people. And for what? Because she's wearing something I gave to her? If so then let me remind you, you're doing the exact same thing but no one is calling you out on it. So stop picking on Lana!" He finished, taking deep breaths from how much he was talking in so little time.

"You want me to say something?" Mallow slowly turned around, her face visibly reddening from anger. "Why don't you stay away from Lana?! You changed her! A few days ago you hated her and now you're suddenly so friendly with her!? I don't buy it," Mallow said coldly.

"Take it easy, Mallow. It's not worth it." Even Kiawe wanted to stop this argument. He didn't like where this fight was going. If Sun and Mallow let their emotions out, there was bound to be a lash out.

"Sun?" Lillie wasn't used to seeing them so furious. It was a rare sight. What was so suppose to be a trip to the Aether Paradise was turning out to be a big fight.

Sophocles didn't know what to say. He knew this talk was coming. When Sun and Mallow would finally bring out their fueling rage that came from the past.

As for Ash, he was watching on helplessly. These two were his friends. If he even had a chance to break the fight apart then he would have to pick a side. That was a choice he didn't want to make.

Suddenly, a person that nobody expected to speak up did so.

"Sun. Mallow. Stop it," Lana requested softly. The two turned to see what she had to say. "This isn't you. This isn't us. Don't you two remember all those times we spent together. We used to go to the park everyday until our parents came to pick up us. We went on many adventures together. Grandpa Forest, the shopping mall, we even wrecked Aina's Kitchen twice! We were so close but then we drifted apart. Now you two are at each other's throats. Can't we all just go back to the way things were? As friends?"

The area went quiet after her little speech. Ash, Sophocles, Kiawe, and Lillie didn't speak because it wasn't any of their business. It was between them personally.

Mallow was speechless. She didn't expect Lana to be the one to make her reconsider their past together. She was right, they were closer together. Her, Lana, and Sun. Mallow thought they'd stay friends forever. Then Lillie came along and Sun started to spend more time together with her instead of them. That was what drifted them apart. The trio became a duo. Mallow and Lana still hung out but it wasn't the same without Sun.

Speaking of Lillie, Mallow was still on bad terms with her. Which was fine. It's better that way. A thought drifted across her mind at times whether things would've changed if Lillie wasn't in the picture. Maybe Sun would have stuck around her and Lana.

Maybe he wouldn't have become a part of Team Skull.

Lana was half right about something. This wasn't them. But if that were true, what were they? What happened, happened. Sun betrayed her trust and he couldn't care less about it. They were enemies, and it'll probably stay like that forever.

There was a tinge of betrayal that struck Mallow. Lana was with Sun. How could she have forgiven him? After everything he did. She forgave him, just like that. And now they were defending each other. But to Mallow, it felt like they were both against her. Sun was supposed to be the bad guy. He was intentionally trying to provoke her. He even went so far as to accuse her of picking on one of her oldest friends. To Mallow, she didn't do anything wrong. She just asked a question.

Reflecting back on it, she could've asked a little nicer than she did. But seeing that flower headband struck a nerve in her. She thought Lana would never wear it again. Granted, she still wore Sun's gift everyday but that wasn't the point!

So why did she wear it then?

 **Flashback**

"Hey, Mallow!" Said a four year old Sun. "Don't you want anything for your birthday?"

"Nope!" A young Mallow chirped innocently. "Dad already got the present I wanted. There really isn't anything else I want."

"But I'd feel bad if I didn't get you anything for your birthday," Sun sighed, playing with some of the flowers on the ground.

The two were currently at their favorite spot. The party was about to begin soon and Mallow's father gave them permission to go play until the party was ready.

"Don't worry about it. It's alright," Mallow replied. She appreciated that he cared. Something caught her eye. "Wow! Look!"

"Hmm?" Sun squinted his eyes to see what she was looking at. "That thing? It's not even a flower yet!"

Mallow pouted, "Well duh! But I never seen a flower fully grow before! Maybe I should take it." Mallow was about to reach for the undeveloped flower until Sun lightly smacked her hand.

"You can't take it out! It needs soil, water, and plenty of sunlight. It'll grow better here," He informed her.

"But I want it!" She wailed before coming up with a devious idea. "I know. You can give me that as a birthday present!"

"Eh!?" Sun gasped. "You want some flower as a present?! Why not something expensive like the moon or your very own restaurant," Sun suggested.

"No! I want this and that's final!" Mallow firmly declared.

"B-but how am I supposed to keep it alive?" Sun whined.

"You're going to have to figure it out yourself."

"Aww!" Sun groaned. How was he going to keep this flower alive all by himself? This was going to take a long time and he didn't want his hard work to be wasted.

"If I do it, you have to promise me you'll wear it forever! Even when your hair turns all white!"

"No problem!" Mallow replied, not seeing an issue that.

 **Present**

It was a promise she made in her childhood. Sun probably forgot it by now, so why hadn't she?

Mallow looked at Lana, and then at Sun. One thing she knew it was that Sun taught Lana how to stand up for herself. She applied those skills just now and boy did it make an impact.

 _'Sun and Lana. Sun and Lana.'_ Mallow kept repeating that phrase in her head. Since they appeared to be hanging out again, if it was genuine or not, it didn't change the fact that the duo of her and Lana will be gone. The way she was acting would surely steer Lana the other way. The process will start over again. Sun was going to spend more time with Lana while they leave her in the dust.

Mallow would still have her other friends but these were her _oldest_ friends. That's what made them different. They were practically always there in her childhood. She thought she understood Lana. So why did everything change in the matter of days? What was her deal with Sun now?

Would it work on her?

Would they finally reconcile? Would they be friends again? Would they go back to having fun again together. Would they be a trio again? Would they-

"Get real, Lana. That's never going to happen," Sun stated unemotionally.

Of course they wouldn't. Why would she even think that they would!? Sun was always there to ruin everything.

"B-but didn't you like those times together?" Lana did her best to convince him.

"That's the past, Lana. Things change. You changed. Green changed. Everyone here changes. Even me." Sun shook his head and prepared to walk off. "Everything can't always go the way you want, Lana. Things happen that changes us into who we are today. You have to accept that. We can't be that trio of friends anymore. As for who's fault it is, I say it's equally all of ours." Sun started to walk away.

"I'll see you at the festival. If I don't then it probably means I'll be away for a while." With those final words, Sun got on Ninetales and began going in a random direction. Anywhere was fine, he just needed a break. A break from the group of students.

"G-guys…" Lillie croaked out. "We're still up for the-"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Mallow said with a stone face. She sighed heavily and started to run away.

"Mallow!" Ash hollered before he went to chase after her.

Lana had her head down the entire time. "Deep down, I knew this was going to happen. I just wanted everyone to get along again. Sun was right, people change."

Kiawe quickly made his way over to his friend. "Are you going to be alright, Lana?" He asked worriedly.

"I-I… I just want to go home," She pleaded. Nodding at her request, Kiawe released his ride pokémon, Charizard, and the two departed from the Marina without another word.

"S-sophocles?" Lillie turned to the last person that was still there. "Do you t-think Sun's going t-to be at the festival?" She remembered his final words.

Sophocles did his best to smile. "I don't know. But you shouldn't worry, Lillie. He's still going to be here. Sun wouldn't try to leave Alola a third time," He chuckled dryly before frowning. "I'm going to go look for Sun. Maybe I can cheer him up." Sophocles went off to the direction that Sun left, leaving Lillie by herself.

The blonde girl thought that this would've been a fun day. Even with her mother joining. But now everything turned into a disaster.

Since her mother was waiting for her, Lillie had no choice but to board the ship on her own.

 _ **Later...**_

Once Lillie arrived to the Aether Paradise, she could see her mother waiting for her along with Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet.

Lillie got off the ship and immediately ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. She pressed her face in her chest, the tears now finally spilling out.

"Lillie!" Lusamine gasped, bringing her daughter in closer, in an effort to console her. "What's going on? Why are you crying?"

"Where is everyone?" Professor Kukui asked, looking on concerned along with his wife.

"E-everything i-is ruined!" Lillie said in between sniffles. "There w-was this b-big fight and everyone w-went away."

"Slow down, Lillie." Lusamine stroked her head soothingly. "Take your time. When you're ready, you can tell us what happened." Lusamine held on to Lillie for as much time as she needed. The professors stood there, ready to give in their share of support too.

What no one noticed was a hovering device zooming past them, coming from one of the windows of the Aether Paradise.

 _ **At the Hau'oli marketplace...**_

Mina was sitting down on her favorite spot in the Hau'oli marketplace. It was a circle area filled with grass and a large tree. This was one of the places that she could fully relax and paint in peace.

She had some of her paintings on display. This was so she'd have a reminder of what she was capable of doing. Nothing was too hard for her to paint.

Flying a few feet above her was her pokémon, Ribombee. Mina had a special talent that she could perform with her pokémon partner.

Yesterday, she didn't have her out due to her human partner, Sun. The first time that they met he insisted on her not having her pokémon out around him as it brought up bad memories that could sidetrack a mission. Now that she wasn't with Sun, Ribombee was free from her poké ball.

Today was supposed to be a relaxing day. That was until.

"Ugh. Phone's ringing," Mina groaned. This was the call she was waiting for. The call where the boss will demote her. All because of that little menace, Sun. "Might as well get it over with. I could always go hurt Sun after this."

Mina picked up her phone and answered the call.

"Reporting in to Agent Mina!"

"Yessir. What is it that you require from me." Here it comes. Mina was being polite, hoping that the boss would take it easy on her.

"Is Elite Agent Sun with you?"

"No sir." Mina almost yelled at the boss. She hated it when he reminded her of the ranks. Sun was higher up which still baffled her to this day.

"Then you shall inform him that I called. He already knows what I'm about to tell you," The boss said. "I'm also sending the new recruit back to deliver you two something essential. Do you understand?"

"Yessir." Mina was annoyed that the rookie was coming. She hoped that she wouldn't screw up again.

"On to the reason why I called you. Tell me Mina, have you ever heard of Ultra Beasts?"

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Author's Note: Everything I said last chapter about the festival will happen next chapter. Even Ash and Mallow going together. It'll probably be one of my shorter chapter since I don't think I can write nine or ten thousand words solely on a festival. But the end will lead up to a new mini arc that I'm making dedicating to Sun. Here's a little hint, it'll show a different side of him that Mallow and Kiawe would expect of him. Stay tuned!**_


	13. Fireworks Festival

**_Author's_ _Note: Wow. I said that this would be one of my shorter chapters but it turned out to be my longest one. I'm not proud of my word choice in this chapter but it is what it is. Classes are starting up in a few weeks so updates might not be as frequent. It depends on the workload I'll be given. In preparation, I'm going to release more frequent chapters until then. There was also something I wanted to address regarding some of the reviews. If you're looking for a story where Ash is immediately strong/smart or totally in love with someone, then you're at the wrong story. These things will happen but give it some time. Ash is still going to be the dense character we all know but I'm going to build his character to move away from this. I'm not trying to say, I hate you people, more so that you're all aware. Ash x Mallow is now confirmed for this story and is fixed in the story summary. They haven't even realize their feelings yet so don't expect them to confess this chapter, though one of them is starting to have those feelings. Sun's paring is still not decided. This chapter also focuses on Sun and Lillie for the most part. The side angle is Ash and Mallow. To finish off this long rambling, enjoy the chapter_.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

"Ultra Beasts?" Mina inquired. It was an odd question that the boss asked her. She knew she heard the name being thrown around at some point when she was with Sun. "My partner has mentioned that before but I'm not sure what it is."

"As expected. Ultra Beasts have been kept secret. We've only found out about Ultra Beasts because of Elite Agent Sun," The boss informed her.

Mina grunted, ticked off by the rank acknowledgment. "And how did he even stumble upon this information?"

"He was in Kanto during it. Apparently he's been keeping tabs on Alola. I don't know who his sources are. Maybe he'd tell you since he's your partner."

He continued, "There have been some Ultra Beasts sightings as reported by our sources. UB-01 Symbiont, UB-02 Burst, UB-04 Blaster, and UB Adhesive have all been sighted."

"What?" Mina's eyes turned into dots.

"Those are our codenames for these extraterrestrial pokémon. You never know who's watching so we must not let anyone find out what we know. Your partner will tell you more about this in private. For now, our mission is to catch these Ultra Beasts."

"What do we need them for?" Mina asked, not seeing the point of catching the beasts. If it was her, she would've left them alone.

"They are a danger to the civilization. Our job is to destroy these pokémon at any cost." The boss answered coldly.

"Destroy?" Mina repeated. "What kind of solution is that? Why can't we solve this another way." The thought of destroying any pokémon appalled her. Even if they were these Ultra Beasts, they're living sentient beings.

"Don't defy your orders Agent Mina. Don't think I forgot about yesterday. A stunt like this will have you working with the new recruit instead," The boss warned her. "We don't have much time when they appear as it is. There have been rumors that there's an organization sending these Ultra Beasts back in their homes."

"That's perfect. We should just let them handle things instead," Mina suggested. There wasn't any need to be getting in their business.

"These are _rumors_ , Agent Mina. If they are true then we must not let these people get in our way. Destroying them is a better alternative than releasing them to their homes."

"What? That doesn't make any sense!" Mina protested.

"These beasts have come out of their homes, who's says they won't do it again? If we destroy them then they won't ever become a threat to us."

"We don't know that! We don't have much information on them!" Mina knew what she was getting into back when she joined the international police. She wanted to help both pokémon and people alike. She heard of the stories where the boss was a factor in the fall of Teams Galactic and Plasma.

The risk of joining the international police was that you could get seriously hurt during the missions. But it would be all worth it in the end when the people and pokémon come out safe. That was an agent's code. To protect anyone you can. The fact that the boss wants to destroy the Ultra Beasts baffled her. What was his deal?

"This is my last warning. Follow your orders." The call ended, leaving Mina to kick the ground angrily. She had her reasons to remain in the force. But to be a part of this, it was unthinkable. Ribombee watched her with concern.

"Don't worry," Mina reassured her partner. "I'm going to have a _nice long_ chat with Sun when I see that idiot again." She started to put away her supplies in preparation for meeting up with the new recruit again.

"Why do you keep dragging me in these types of situations, Sun?"

 _ **At the Aether Paradise...**_

Lillie had finished explaining everything that went down earlier. The whole fight had shaken her up. Their group of friends were split up at the moment, leaving her all on her own.

"There's nothing to fret about, Lillie," Lusamine told her daughter. "It'll pass in due time. Just let them sort out their issues."

Lillie shook her head. "But it's been going on for almost a year now!"

Lusamine sweatdropped. "Oh. Well… erm…" She struggled to find the good words to put Lillie at ease.

Luckily for her, Professor Kukui stepped in. "If it's as bad as you say, I believe it's time to set them straight. We can't have them constantly fighting whenever they get on each other's nerves."

Lillie contemplated on what to think of this. If Lana, Sun and Mallow's closest friend when they were young, couldn't get them to get along then who would? Lana was their best bet and even she couldn't do it. Lillie couldn't think of another person who could try and convince them.

Professor Burnet placed a hand below her chin thoughtfully. "I haven't met this Sun personally but by the way you put it Lillie, I don't think a scolding would be sufficient enough."

"Now that you mention it," Lusamine started with a straight face. "Every time I scolded Sun, he'd just ignore me. But when I gave him something that he wanted, he was all ears." She giggled and clasped her hands together. "I'm sure giving him an expensive toy will get him to play nice!"

"Stop spoiling, Sun!" Professor Kukui and Lillie berated her. Professor Burnet had a question mark appear on top of her head, confused at their behavior. Lusamine put her hands up in defense.

"Spoiling? I just love seeing a smile on his face. Is that so bad?" She questioned out loud.

"Yes!" Professor Kukui chastised her. "You remember that time that he was about to leave Alola. He acted like a spoiled brat when you threatened to take his gift away." The professor paused. "Now that I think about it, what was so important about that gift?"

Lusamine smiled brightly. "Why, Sun asked me to deliver him a Beast Ball!" The two professors eyes widened. "What?" Lusamine asked, seeing their expressions.

Professor Kukui coughed. "You gave Sun… a Beast Ball. You know, poké balls that can catch an Ultra Beast. Ultra Beasts that only selected individuals know about. And now Sun has the ability to catch one of his own."

Lusamine took his words in very seriously. "Oh." A period of silence dreaded them. The possibility that Sun could catch an all powerful pokémon for who knows what was a problem. "Well… at the time it didn't sound so serious. We had so many and I thought Sun wanted it because it was a new secret poké ball that he didn't know about. He doesn't know about Ultra Beasts so I don't believe it's as big of an issue as it is."

"Um…" Lillie squeaked, turning all heads to her. "Lana and Kiawe might've spilled it out a few days ago."

"What!?" The three adults gasped, causing Lillie to flinch.

"Lillie, tell me exactly what happened," Kukui requested urgently.

Lillie nervously played with her dress. "Sun said that Lana mentioned the name once. But Kiawe told him about how rare they are and how we are tasked by my mother to go capture them." She was quick to defend him. "But it was because Sun… he… uh…"

"He what?" They all asked at once.

Lillie pursed her lips and looked down. She vaguely remembered that Sun tricked Kiawe by telling him that Lana already told him what Ultra Beasts are. Then she thought about yesterday. Her mother's words were circling in her mind.

 _'Will you stick by Sun's side or stand up for us?'_

The blonde haired girl didn't know that this was coming so fast! She couldn't make a decision last time but now she had to. So now she had to choose between Sun or her mother.

"Lillie dear, you know you can tell me anything." Lusamine placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'm here to hear you out. Always."

After hearing that, Lillie made up her choice.

"Sun didn't do anything. Kiawe was just trying to show off," Lillie said quietly. She just couldn't talk ill about Sun. She just couldn't. He was always there for her. He was there to help her make more friends. He was there to keep her company even when she didn't ask. He was there when her brother couldn't. He was there when she couldn't stand her mother. He was even there to help her get rid of her fear of pokémon!

It was one of the happiest days of her life.

 **Flashback**

"Come on, Lillie. He's not so scary."

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Lillie squealed. She buried her face in Sun's shoulders as she was in his arms.

"Coo?" Rowlet ruffled his wings a bit.

"Lillie…" Sun sighed, holding her bridal style. It wasn't like he had a choice. When Lillie saw Rowlet, she screamed and jumped in Sun's arms. He managed to catch her in time before she fell. "We've been practicing for so long now."

Lillie felt a pang of guilt strike her. She knew he was trying his hardest to get her to touch pokémon but she wouldn't budge. She told him the whole story about her traumatizing experience that caused her fear. Ever since they met, he's been helping her conquer it. Two years have passed and still no dice.

"What'll make you at least lay a finger on Rowlet?" Sun asked, his voice slightly more desperate. "I'm heading to do my Island Challenge as soon as I turn ten in a couple of months. I want to come back and see you have a partner." Unlike most trainers, Sun decided to focus entirely on the Island Challenge. The professor had already given him permission to miss school during this. He wasn't going to see his friends in a while. If Sun had to guess then he'd say it'd be about four months until he completed his trials. The reason he was staying out so long was to fully explore the islands and train his pokémon as much as possible in the new environment. That way he could beat the Kahuna's quicker since he'll dedicate his time into training his pokémon to their full potential.

So far he only had Rowlet. Sun found Rowlet when he was around eight. Rowlet was just an egg that his dad found outside during his job. Sun took it as an opportunity to prepare for his future as a pokémon trainer by taking care of it. His friends helped him out during the first few weeks of raising it. Rowlet was a stubborn egg and Sun had to wait at least a month until it hatched. During that time, Sun managed to trick Lillie into touching the egg when he lied saying that it was a dummy egg. He regretted it when he told her the truth and she almost dropped it.

Lillie thought about what Sun said. She was upset whenever he mentioned the Island Challenge because she wouldn't see him in a long time. She secretly had motives of accompanying Sun but dismissed it, fearing that he'd reject her company. As an alternative, she decided to spend as much time with Sun before he left.

What she didn't expect was for Sun to surprise her with his Rowlet.

"I know. Rowlet, come closer." Rowlet followed the command and flew right beside Sun's leg. Lillie shrieked and hurriedly jumped out of Sun's arms and clung onto his back. "Fly up to my head." Rowlet flapped his wing and flew up, landing on Sun's head. Lillie quickly latched her whole body to Sun's leg.

"Lillie! Please!" Sun groaned. He attempted to kick Lillie of his leg but to no avail. "Fine. Rowlet, go back over there." The grass-type starter pokémon returned to his original position. "Up you go." Since a pokémon wasn't nearby, Lillie's grip loosened. This made it easier for Sun to help her back up.

"I'm sorry, Sun. I let you down," Lillie croaked out.

"It's fine." Sun looked ready to leave. "I know you're hurting a lot but you can't live like this forever, Lillie. I thought I could help you but I was wrong. Maybe it'll work when we get older, but for now I guess we can just go read about pokémon or something." Seeing the look of dismay on Sun's face made Lillie feel more awful. Sun was getting older and most of the things he wanted to due now involved pokémon. He couldn't do any of that with her around. She felt like she was forcing Sun into doing things that he grew out of like playing in the playground or drawing colorful pictures inside the lines.

She feared that he'd stopped hanging around her. When Sun would come back from his Island Challenge, he'll have a full team of pokémon. Since she couldn't be around them then there was no point for Sun to stick around.

 _'No! I want to be friends with Sun forever! I won't lose him!'_ Lillie thought in her head.

"Rowlet, you can head back home now and play with Meowth. I'll be back before dinner." Sun kicked a pebble on the ground and pushed his hand into his pockets. His sadness with clearly visible to Lillie. It was now or never.

"Wait!" She shouted, stopping Rowlet's departure. "I'll do it."

"You don't have to. I already said it's fine," Sun said.

Lillie shook her head. "It's not fine! You hate me because I can't touch pokémon. If I do this, you'll actually care about me again."

"What!?" Sun exclaimed in shock. "Where'd you get that from. I do care about you. A lot in fact!" He gripped her shoulders and stared deep into her bright green eyes. "Sure I may get a little annoyed of your fear but that doesn't mean I think any less of you. You're my friend, Lillie. I wouldn't make you do anything you don't want to just because of my feelings," He finished, giving her a weak smile.

Lillie avoided his eye, feeling a bit of heat radiating her cheeks. "Thank you, Sun but I still want to do this! I want to get over my silly fear. Will you help me, Sun?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course! That's what I've been trying to do!" Sun chuckled, calling his Rowlet back. Rowlet hooted and began flying in circles around them. Lillie flinched at how close he was and hugged Sun tightly.

"It's okay, Lillie. Just know I'll always be there for you. You never have to fear pokémon again now that I'm by your side. I promise." Sun grabbed one of her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Sun…" Lillie squeezed his hand too and pressed her back against his chest. She eyed the pokémon flying right in front of her hesitantly.

 _'I can't be afraid anymore. No pokémon is ever going to harm me again now that Sun is with me. He promised and Sun never breaks his promises.'_

Giving his hand one last squeeze, Lillie used her free hand and stretched it out forward. Rowlet cooed curiously as her hand was now hovering above his head.

"You can do it, Lillie. I believe in you," Sun encouraged her, settling down her shaking. Taking a deep breath and shutting her eyes, Lillie slowly lowered her hand down a touched Rowlet's head for a millisecond before retracting back. Opening her eyes, she was met with Rowlet staring at her innocently.

 _'Nothing happened.'_ Lillie gave it another try and gave it another pet that only lasted for about two seconds that time. She repeated this process until she smiled and let go of Sun's hand so she could pet him with both hands.

"I-I… I did it!" Lillie screamed in joy. She touched Rowlet all over his beak, belly, feathers, face, and even his cute little bow. Tears started to fall down from her face as she finally was able to touch a pokémon. She didn't realize how much she was crying until Sun used his hand to clear up the tears on her face.

"I can do it!" Lillie cheered, giving Rowlet a big hug. He screeched at how tight the hug got and how he felt water start to drip down his head.

"Alright! I knew you'd do it! Congratulations, Lillie!" Sun congratulated her loudly. He wouldn't admit that a single tear fell down his face as he watched Lillie conquer her fear. After those two long years of trying to help her, she finally did it. He couldn't wait to tell everyone of the giant feat the Lillie accomplished.

And he had something to do with it. A warm feeling erupted from Sun's chest, knowing that he at least played a role in her journey to facing her fears. That was something no one could take away from him.

Lillie let go of Rowlet and turned to Sun. Seeing him being so proud of her brought in a new wave of emotions. Emotions that got her to cry more tears of happiness.

"Thank you, Sun! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!" Lillie hopped onto Sun's body and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his body. She hugged him stronger than she ever did before as a sign of gratitude. Without him, she would've never been able to touch pokémon. And that was all because she knew one thing that he was right about.

She'd never have to be afraid of pokémon again because Sun was there with her. And that was something she wished would stay like that forever.

 **End of Flashback**

Lillie could never repay Sun for what he did that day. From that day forward, the two had gotten even closer than before. She was even invited by Sun to join him during his Island Challenge. That's when she met Hau and the three had the best four months of their lives. But alas, all good things had to come to an end. And for Lillie, it was the worst experience in her life. Right behind the Nihilego incident.

Out of nowhere, Sun went missing for an entire week, worrying Lillie to the point that she went out after school to go look for him. Sophocles had told everyone that he'd been taken away from a man. Her friends just barely convinced her that it was one of their pranks. She almost fully believed them too when Sun came back. But that was when her life started to crumble.

Sun came back completely different. He came back as a part of Team Skull. Lillie was already distressed enough about this but it was further increased when Sun blew her off every time she went to go talk to him. Then, Sun gathered his friends and promised everyone that he knew what he was doing.

Just like before, Lillie was aware that Sun always kept his promise. That light of hope dwindled down as the days passed. Sun still ignored her and even caused mischief in the island. There was only a small tinge of hope left that soon disappeared too. The reason to this was because of her friends.

Kiawe, Lana, and Mallow insisted that Sun was a new boy and badgered her into joining their side. Lillie didn't believe them one bit. Then one day, Lillie cornered Sun and asked why he was behaving this way. Her mood was crushed when he pushed her he told her to buzz off. After one final time of her friends pressuring her to stop hanging around Sun for her own good, she finally gave in.

Lillie didn't get a chance to adjust because she learned from the professor that Sun left Alola without saying goodbye. That broke her emotionally for weeks. And even before Sun eventually returned, she still couldn't get over the fact that he left for good.

She felt ashamed that her fear of pokémon came back. She let Sun down after all the work they put into it. He wasn't by her side anymore, which led Lillie to believe that she wasn't safe. There was no Sun to protect her from an aggressive pokémon.

Worst of all, there was no Sun at all. No Sun to brighten her day like in the past. She had many great days when Ash came and spiced things up at the Pokémon School. However, it was never the same.

Now she had a chance to fix it. She had a chance to rekindle her close friendship to the boy that she cared about the most. She'd be crazy to think that she was going to let Sun slip away from her again.

This all led to the present time. Lillie was facing her mother with her best poker face. She needed her to believe her lie.

 _'For Sun.'_

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

Sun didn't know how much time had passed. He found a spot in the forest and was sitting on one of the tree's branches. He stared at the sun blankly.

"Sun!"

"Sun!"

Sun heard two familiar voice call out his name and looked down. There, he saw Sophocles and Hau walking around.

"Up here!" He hollered to them. The two stopped and looked up, seeing Sun waving to them.

"Can you come to us?" Sophocles asked with a nervous chuckle. During his search for Sun, Sophocles found Hau along the way. He informed him that he was supposed to meet up with Sun but he never showed up.

"Fine." Sun carefully made his way down the tree and was now standing beside the two. "What can I do ya for?"

Hau spoke. "You never showed up to my house. We made plans to go to the festival together, remember?" He reminded Sun politely.

"Oh yeah. Sorry Hau, I just had a lot on my plate," Sun replied, averting his gaze from his friends.

"You want to go talk about it?" Hau asked, concerned.

"I might as well. We can talk about it while we head to the festival," Sun suggested with the two nodding in agreement. "By the way, what are they going to have at the festival?"

Hau pulled out a pamphlet and handed it to Sun. "Most people are going to hang around the Festival Plaza until the fireworks show is ready. I'm pretty pumped! It's been a while since the Festival Plaza opened!" Hau had to hold back a frown, knowing that he must have missed one during his absence when he secluded himself in his house. But that didn't matter, now he could go with his friends again!

"Fortune teller, haunted house, stores, restaurants, lottery raffles, bouncy houses, and tents based off many regions!? Wow! They really out done it this year!" Sun beamed, feeling his mood go up. "This is exactly what I need right now!"

"Ahem." Hau cleared his throat.

"Right. I got to fess up about my day." Sun stashed the pamphlet in his pocket. "I think I need some moral support." He pushed his hands forward and looked at Sophocles expectantly.

"Gotcha! Togedemaru!" Togedemaru cried out happily and hopped into Sun's arm. Sun hugged her, loving the softness of her fur.

"Much better." Sun sighed contentedly and thought about his next words. "I guess it all started yesterday evening. Let me ask you this. Do you two ever get that annoyed feeling inside you when you find a girl sleeping in your bed?"

 _ **At Lana's house...**_

"Lana." Kiawe stood outside Lana's bedroom door. When he brought her home, she immediately bolted to her room and locked herself in. To add to his worries, he could hear her sob wistfully. "You mind letting me in?" Still no response.

Harper and Sarah came by, wondering what the commotion was about. When they saw Kiawe, the twins glared at him.

"Hey! Back off! Only Sun can go comfort our sister!" Harper huffed.

"Yeah! Go away, Kiawe!" Sarah added in before smiling innocently. "Please."

Kiawe gawked at them. "And why can only Sun go in there?" He hoped it wasn't what he thought they were going to say.

Sarah continued, "So Sun can go in there and rescue the day! Like a prince charming!"

"Then they'll fall in love and get married!" Harper chirped.

"Eh!?!?" Kiawe sputtered, his jaw slacked to the floor. It was worse than he thought. "M-marry!? Aren't you two too young to know about that stuff?"

"Nope!" They both answered together.

"Okay then…" Kiawe went back to knocking on Lana's door. "Come on, Lana. The fireworks festival is in a few hours! You don't want to miss that, do you?" He grumbled when he was still answered with silence.

"You're not trying hard enough." Sarah smirked, lightly pushing Kiawe to the side. "Let me try."

Kiawe shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Sure. You are her sister after all." He motioned her to go on.

"Hey Lana! Get your butt out here!" Sarah yelled. "You promised to take us!" She placed her hands on her hips, believing that that did the trick.

"Ask mom. I'm sorry Harper and Sarah, but I can't do it today," Lana said from behind the door. Sarah had a tick mark appear on her forehead.

"Sarah! You didn't even try!" Harper scolded her twin. "I know exactly what will work!" She puffed out her chest with pride. "Lana, you have to come with us! I heard that Sun planned on taking you!"

"Nice try, Harper. He's going with Hau." Lana read through her lie. Before she could try a different method, a door opened from their left.

"What's with all the yelling?! I'm trying to get my beauty rest!" Moon revealed herself, holding her plush Squirtle. Her hair was a mess, making the twins giggle.

"What are you doing here?" Kiawe questioned, stunned to see her there.

Moon flipped her hair back. "If you must know, Sunny and I have been crashing her for days now," She answered carelessly.

"What!?" Kiawe roared, flame erupting from his eyes. The twins scattered, a bit scared of his new attitude. "You and Sun have been sharing the same roof as Lana!?"

Moon narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. You got a problem with that, bub?" She dared, not afraid to repeat her actions of her first day in Alola.

"Why? Why can't you two stay at Sun's house?"

"It's not safe for some reason. Some sketchy guy found him and knows where he lives." Moon stuck her tongue out. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be continuing my dream of Sunny and I in our honeymoon!" She slammed the door, not waiting for a rebuttal.

"More trouble, I see," Kiawe said to himself. "Sun's like a magnet at this point," He mused.

"Lana, dear." Lana's mother brushed by him. "I made you your favorite snack! Cookies shaped like suns with the little hearts on them!" The door suddenly burst wide open, showing a red eyed, flushed Lana. She glanced over at Kiawe nervously.

"Th-thanks," Lana muttered, grabbing the plate of cookies.

Lana's mother smiled warmly. "Do you want me to write out the little messages too?"

"Messages?" Kiawe repeated, perplexed with the whole situation happening right in front of him.

"No thank you!" The flustered Lana shut the door as fast as she could, earning a laugh from her mother.

"Some things never change." Her attention switched over to Kiawe. "Don't worry. I'll have Lana out before the fireworks display. You can go make yourself comfortable in the living room for now."

Kiawe nodded, an eager smile on his face.

"Hopefully, Alola's got Talent is on!"

 _ **At Aina's Kitchen..**_.

"Erm… Mallow?" Ash carefully called out her name. He had chased her all the way to her family restaurant. She was in the kitchen, angrily cooking. "I don't think it's such a good idea to cook when you're mad."

"Yes! Bzzt! You may receive a minor burn!" Rotom warned her.

"Pika!" Pikachu said to Steenee, who was also working hard in the kitchen. Though, her state of mind was more relaxed than her trainer's.

"It's… it's fine." Mallow spoke for the first time since they left the Marina. "It's just my way of dealing with my frustration."

"If you say so," Ash replied, a little doubtful. "Is it really that bad? Can't you find it in yourself to get along with Sun for at least an hour?" In his mind, Ash thought that past friendships eventually reconnect again. It was the case with his friend, Gary Oak, whom he spent his time with as a child until they had a big fight. Now that they were older, Ash and Gary reconciled when he quit being a pokémon trainer and started to focus more on his research. Every time they met up again, there was still that tiny spark of rivalry but it was overcome with their friendship.

If any would understand what she was going through, it'd be Ash.

"It's not that easy, Ash Ketchum!" Mallow seethed, setting her kitchen utensils down. "You don't know Sun as well as I do. I really trusted him and he stabbed me in the back!" She slammed a knife down on the cutting board. "He stabbed everyone in the back. I don't know why Sophocles still stuck around with him. And it's more surprising that Lana chose to forgive him. I thought she'd be as mad as me," Mallow finished, going back to chopping up some vegetables.

Ash exchanged glances with his Pikachu and talking pokédex. "Have you ever considered that there was some sort of reason behind it?"

"I doubt it," Mallow responded hotly.

"I known Sun for a while now and he's never struck me as the type to hurt people." Ash knew the truth behind Sun's reasoning but respected his decision in keeping it private. He was going to have to convince Mallow with this basic knowledge on Sun.

"That's what made it even worse!" Ash noticed her stature getting stiffer. "We all believed that Sun was the innocent type. It threw us off guard when he showed his true colors."

"Did joining Team Skull make you that horrible of a person?"

"Yes! B-"

"And didn't the leader get arrested right before Sun left Alola?"

"Um…"

"So wouldn't it be possible that Sun had something to do with that? Have you ever dug up more info on it?" Ash pressed on.

"No…" Mallow hugged her arm awkwardly. "Look, can we just forget about this for now. I really want to get it out of my mind and you're not helping."

"Alright," Ash sighed, his posture deflated.

"I know your intentions are good Ash, but I'm not ready to sit down and personally tell you everything on my mind." Mallow gave Ash a small smile. "Thanks for caring though."

Ash returned the gesture. "No problem."

"There has to be something I missed! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, going through its pictures and stopping at a picture that made Ash flush again.

"Ah! Rotom! I thought you deleted that!" Ash covered his eyes, not daring to peek at the picture again. This caused Mallow to giggle.

"You know, when I think about it, it was pretty weird finding out that Sun and Acerola went out," Mallow pondered. "Sun brought up her name a couple of times. They met during one of his and Sophocles' trips to Ula'ula Island to go visit Sophocles' big cousin. It was at the Hokulani Observatory."

"Hokulani Observatory?"

Mallow nodded. "It's this neat place where you can use a telescope and look at space. It's also a perfect spot to do some star gazing," She informed him. "Back to what I was talking about, I never knew that Sun and Acerola dated. It must have been during his Island Challenge. Makes me wonder what else he's been hiding." A deep frown bestowed upon her face.

"If that were true, wouldn't have Lillie known? I remember Hau acknowledging Acerola to Sun when we first met," Ash said.

"You're probably right." The two stood there, wondering what Lillie's reaction was when she found out. Although, Mallow couldn't stand Lillie at the moment, it did bring up some new questions about the past.

They were snapped out of their train of thought when Abe could be heard yelling. Poipole flew by, playfully giggling as it hid behind Ash.

"Ash. Mallow." Abe came by, a bowl resting upside down on his head. Egg yolk was covering the upper portion of his face. "That pokémon of yours has been causing a lot of trouble in the restaurant. I think it's best that you two head to the Festival Plaza for now. The fireworks show begins in a few hours." He removed the bowl from his head and wiped his face with a handkerchief.

"Sorry! Poipole likes to play a lot," Ash apologized before giving Poipole a stern gaze. "Poipole, that wasn't very nice."

Poipole let out an unhappy noise and floated closer to Abe. It bowed its head and muttered an apology in its language.

"It's okay. No major damage done. I need to focus on my work is all that I'm trying to say," Abe told the saddened Poipole. "You two should head out though, I heard they have a bouncy house for the pokémon to play in!"

This immediately brightened Poipole's spirits. It went over to Pikachu and hugged him happily.

"Sure dad!" Mallow faced Ash with a big grin. "This festival is exactly what I need right about now. Want to go with me, Ash?"

"Of course!" Ash responded cheerfully. The two trainers and their pokémon headed out the door.

Abe chuckled as he watched them leave. "Have fun you two!"

 _ **Back with Lillie...**_

 _'I hope I made the right choice.'_ Lillie thought to herself as the ship was almost arriving to Melemele Island. Her mother easily bought her story but both of the professors weren't easily convinced. Nevertheless, they let it go this time. Lillie had to be careful on what she's going to say in the future.

"Cheer up, Lillie." Lusamine wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulder. "The pamphlet here states that the Festival Plaza will be open. There'll be all sorts of things we can do!" A smirk stretched on her lips. "Or maybe it's because you want to go with Sun?"

"Mother!" Lillie pushed her mother's arm off her.

Lusamine giggled before putting on a straight face. "In all seriousness, if we do find Sun We should ask if he still has that Beast Ball. Then we should interrogate him about that device he had yesterday." Lusamine went on after seeing Lillie's irate expression, "Don't pout, dear. When we make sure his intentions are clean, you two may have my blessing!" She cooed, pinching Lillie's reddening cheek teasingly.

"Whatever…" Lillie trailed off, knowing that she wouldn't talk her mother out of teasing her. She was glad that the professors weren't nearby.

"Splendid!" Lusamine clapped her hands together. "You didn't object! Which means you do want my blessing. My Lillie, growing up so fast!" She wailed, hugging her daughter from behind.

Lillie was vexed by her mother's dramatic nature. But she was right about one thing.

She didn't deny her blessings.

 _ **At the Festival Plaza...**_

"Woah!" Ash marveled the sight of the huge castle in the distance. He had never been to the Festival Plaza and couldn't wait to enjoy his time there. Ash and Mallow approached the entrance, which consisted of a huge gate. There were trimmed bushes and balloons everywhere. Multiple Swablus could be seen floating around the area.

"Alola! Welcome to the Festival Plaza!" A tall man in a purple to hat greeted them. He wore a purple tuxedo with a matching pair of purple pants. "I hope you two enjoy yourselves! The Festival Plaza brings fun for everyone, including your pokémon!" Ash and Mallow nodded, giving the man the small entrance fee before going in. They were both handed a pamphlet of what was to be expected later.

"We should first go and drop off our pokémon at one of the bouncy houses!" Mallow said. Pikachu, Poipole, and Steenee jumped in joy. They could all hang out together and even make some new friends!

"Is it that over there?" Ash pointed to the giant Drifblim that resembled its shiny form. The pokémon rushed over to the bouncy house, eager to play.

"Alola! Welcome to the Stomp-Stomp House!" A man greeted them nicely. "Feel free to drop your pokémon off here. They'll be watched and fed until you come back and pick them up."

"Alright! Come out you guys!" Ash released his Lycanroc, Torracat, and Rowlet. "You all be nice to the other pokémon. Got it?" The pokémon agreed and climbed the small ladder to get through the small entrance.

"Nice! So that leaves us! Let's go check out that lottery shop right there!" Mallow ran to the blue counter lottery shop. Ash was about to do the same until the man's voice caught his attention.

He winked at him. "You make sure to go treat her right!"

"Huh?" Ash tilted his head sideways, genuinely confused.

"Ash!" Mallow waved her arms up, wanting him to hurry up.

"Oh! Well, goodbye." Ash bid the woman farewell and went to go join Mallow. "What did he mean by that?"

Rotom gave its input. "Bzzt! I believe he wanted you to be nice to her," It buzzed.

"But I always am." Ash dropped it for now as he neared the lottery shop. He saw Mallow jumping gleefully.

"Yay! Berry Juice! Steenee will love this!" Mallow graciously grabbed the drink and stored it. The woman behind the blue counter noticed Ash.

"Alola! Feeling lucky today? Test your luck at Treasure Hunt, and you may walk out of here a different boy!" She convinced Ash to try it out.

"Sure! What do I have to do?" He asked excitingly.

"My assistant here will spin the wheel." She gestured over the kantonian Meowth and the colorful wheel. "Whichever number it lands on determines the prize! Without further ado, a spin the wheel, Meowth!" The Meowth meowed and began spinning the wheel by pushing it down with both paws. It almost looked like it thought it was a scratching post.

"I wonder what you'll get!" Mallow stood closely beside Ash, shaking with anticipation. The wheel slowed down and eventually stopped at the number two.

"Congratulations! You won our number two prize!" She applauded his luck and crouched down to get his prize.

"No way! You actually got it!?" Mallow couldn't believe her eyes. "You got to take extra care of it."

Ash grinned, delighted to have won a rare prize… which he didn't know what it was. "What's the prize?" To answer his question, the woman stood back up and placed something on the counter.

"Here is your prize!"

Ash sweatdropped, not knowing if she was joking or not. Rotom floated closer to the prize and inspected it.

"It's a bottle cap! Bzzt!" It pointed out the obvious. Ash picked it up and faked a smile.

"Gee… thanks," He thanked her awkwardly.

"You're welcome! Come back soon!" Ash, Mallow, and Rotom left the lottery shop.

"Can I hold it? Please," Mallow pleaded, fawning over the bottle cap. Ash shrugged and gave her the bottle cap.

"You can have it," Ash said, not seeing why he would want a bottle cap in the first place.

"Really!?" Ash nodded. "Thanks, Ash! You're the best!" She took the bottle cap and hugged him dearly. Ash froze stiffly, a new feeling arising in the pit of his stomach.

"Bzzt! Is that a haunted house?" Rotom eyed the haunted house, intrigued.

Mallow's eyes sparkled. "That's our next stop. Let's go, Ash!" She grabbed his hand and started pulling him with her. Mallow and Rotom sparked up a conversation of what they thought would be scary in there.

 _'What's happening?'_ Ash thought, a frown on his face while his face was scrunched up. _'Why do I feel strange now? Could it be a stomach ache? But I didn't eat much today. Maybe I'm hungry?'_ He didn't know what he was experiencing other than it weirded him out.

He didn't have time to think about the new feeling because they arrived at the haunted house. It was in the shape of a half circle red tent with big spikes on top. The opening resembled a mouth with sharp teeth and a tongue carpet on the bottom. On the outside was a tree with no leaves on it and an ancient tomb.

A blonde haired man was there. "Alola! Get ready to be spooked. For the Ghosts' Den is sure to give you a scare!" Ash, Mallow, and Rotom slowly stepped in, not knowing what to expect.

 _ **With Sun...**_

Meanwhile, outside of the Festival Plaza, Sun, Hau, and Sophocles arrived at the entrance. To Sun's embarrassment, the man there recognized him.

"Woah! Look everybody! It's Sun, the trial-goer who almost became our champion!" The man shouted, eliciting a horde of people to surround Sun and his friends.

"Sun! Can I have your autograph!?"

"That's Sun! He never started his final trial which means he can still be our champion!"

"Yeah! Be our champion Sun and we'll show those other regions that Alola is just as good without those fancy schmancy gyms!"

Sun sighed in defeat. Of course these people would ruin his day of fun. He had to find a way to get them off his back.

Hau noticed his distress and came to his aid. "Calm down folks! Sun's here to have a nice evening and he can't have that if he's being bothered by you all." He unknowingly made the situation worse.

"And who are you? You're not on Sun's level so you have no right to speak for him!" An angry fan girl proclaimed. An agreement of murmurs came from the big crowd.

Hau still kept the cheery smile on his face. "There's no need to talk like that! This area should be filled with positivity. And I'm sorry but I'm going to have to shoot down that claim of yours." Hau said to the fan girl. "I actually traveled with Sun during his Island Challenge. I completed every trial except for the battle against Poni Island's Kahuna."

"So? Stop trying to steal Sun's spotlight!" The crowd went rowdy. Hau backed up a bit when they started to get closer.

Sophocles gave a crack at it. "Why don't we all just take a deep breath and-"

"Hey! Aren't you a trial captain?" A person questioned.

"What!? No! That's not the point," Sophocles urged the crowd to stop.

"Then you're not worth our time!" The people stomped towards them. Sophocles' pride ripped apart after that comment.

"Aye! People!" Sun addressed, resulting in the crowd to stop. "I want to spend the evening with my friends here so I'd appreciate it if you all dispersed," He requested them kindly.

"Anything for you, Sun!"

"We'll do as you say, future champ!"

"Marry me, Sun!"

"Geez." Sun turned around, cringing at the last comment. "Let's head in guys." After paying the small fee, the trio entered the Festival Plaza and were not disappointed.

"Lottery!" Sun exclaimed, being beside his friends for one second and behind the lottery counter the next.

"Man, he's fast!" Hau whistled, impressed.

"Well, since there are some pretty valuable items at the lottery, you'd think there'd be more people lining up for it," Sophocles chuckled.

"What are the odds that he won?" Hau wondered. Like magic, a horn blared loudly.

"We have a winner!" Hau and Sophocles gasped with exclamation marks on top of their heads. They turned to see Sun snatching a big nugget from the owner's hands.

"You got to be joking!" Hau blurted out. He and Sophocles made their way over to the lucky Sun.

"Again!" Sun demanded. "There aren't no rules about going a second time so get to it!" He glared at the Gold Rush owner.

"Right away!" The man recognized Sun and didn't want to cross him so he followed his order.

Hau sighed, "We're going to be here for a while."

 _ **Back with Ash and Mallow...**_

"Yikes!" Ash came out of the tent with his hair all the way up. A look of horror echoed his features.

"Who knew it'd be that scary!" Mallow walked out next, her expression similar to Ash's. Ash shifted his feet, backing away from the green haired girl. During their adventure inside the Ghosts' Den, Mallow had clung to his body each time there was a jump scare, sprouting the same feeling he felt from before. It felt strange to be around Mallow now, which he had no problem doing before, so what changed?

"Fascinating! Bzzt!" Rotom came spiraling out of the tent, accidentally hitting Ash. "Sorry Ash!"

"Ow. Watch where you're going, Rotom." Ash rubbed his head painfully. "How much longer until the fireworks?"

Mallow peered down at the pamphlet in her hands. "Until an hour. How long were we in there?"

The blonde haired man spoke up from behind them. "I heard that there are people that stay in there for hours. Even days! Consider yourselves lucky," He said in a dark tone. A new group of people came by and the man smiled as if nothing had happened. "Alola!"

"Freaky," Ash muttered.

"You can say that again." Mallow spotted another tent nearby. "Ooh! A fortune teller tent! I want to know my fortune!" The two trainers headed towards the golden tent in went inside.

"Alola! Be mystified by my accurate fortunes! Only one per person!" A lady sitting in a chair said to them. There was a small table in front of her with a blurry ball on it.

"Me first!" Mallow sat across from her and let the lady do her thing.

"Oh yes." The fortune teller waved her hands around the sphere. "I see… a restaurant! Yes! And there's You, a grown woman running it. You'll be very successful!"

"Neat! I'll be taking over the restaurant!" Mallow jumped out of her seat so Ash could go next.

"Oh my! I see something bright! Wait a minute, it's fading. The image is very clear now." The fortune teller placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm afraid you wouldn't get this until you're a bit older, boy."

"Drats!" Ash slumped in the chair sadly.

The fortune teller smiled. "But I will give you a hint. You go and treat your friend well, lad. My senses tell me that you two will be together in the near future."

Ash scratched his head. "Oh, so we'll still be friends when we're older? I guess that's pretty cool!" The woman laughed at his innocence.

"Um. Excuse me. Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed shyly. "Do you also do pokédexes?"

"Can't say I ever had a pokédex as a customer. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try." She repeated her actions, swirling her hands around the sphere. "Fire! I see Fire! You were involved with fire-no! You were thrown in fire. The culprit… it's a male with black hair and blue eyes. I sense that he's apart of your circle of friends."

"Oh no! Bzzt!" Rotom burst through the tent flaps quickly. There was no denying who she was describing. "Sun really does throw me in a volcano!" It panicked, not wanting to suffer such fate.

"Rotom!" Ash and Mallow came out of the tent. "We're heading to one of the cafés. Are you going to be alright?" He asked the pokédex.

"I'll meet you two there!" Rotom went inside a nearby shrub. It started to cry out in anguish.

Ash and Mallow traded glances and shrugged.

 _ **At the Festival Plaza entrance...**_

Lusamine, Lillie, and the two professors finally made it to the Festival Plaza. Right away, they observed a big crowd surrounding one of the tents. Curious, the four paid the fee and went in. The commotion seemed to be happening at one of the lottery shops.

"Haha! Yeah! I win first prize again!" A familiar voice ringed in Lillie's ears. She scurried over to the voice and was delighted to see the person she wanted to search for.

"But, Sun! That was it! There's no more first or second place prizes. We had to go through each tent here to collect more prizes for you," The owner of the facility said.

"Really? Darn." Sun got out of the stool and carried his bottle caps and nuggets. "Everyone! I have decided that I don't need this as much as I do. So that's why I'm going to sell this for money and donate that to every pokémon center in Melemele Island!" Sun announced. The crowd of people went wild at that.

"So humble!"

"That's what I expect from someone like Sun!"

"Sign my body, Sun!"

"Shoot." He turned to Hau and Sophocles. "It's time to make our move. To the Friendship Café!" The three quietly tip toed away from the growing crowd. Lillie followed them with the adults not too far behind.

"Sun!" She repeated his name three times as she caught up to him. When she was right behind him, she gave Sun the much needed hug that she needed.

"Ah! That fan girl caught up to me!" Sun yelped. He tilted his head, presuming to see the creepy fangirl. "Eh? Lillie?" That when he also spotted the three adults right behind her. "Eeek!"

"Hello again, Sun," Lusamine greeted, not in her usual tone of voice. The professors folded their arms and eyed him disapprovingly. Sun quickly surmised a plan that dealt with his popularity.

"Help!!! These three adults are trying to rob me!!!" He cried out. In a blink of an eye, they all surrounded Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, and Lusamine.

"Hold on a minute!" Lusamine cautioned. "I don't even need the money. I run the-"

"Zip it, lady! Sun never lies!" A person yelled. Sun smiled innocently and had a halo appear above his head.

"Hey, let's go," Sun whispered in Lillie's ear. He took his hand and calmly departed the growing tension. Hau and Sophocles reluctantly followed.

"That wasn't very nice, Sun." Lillie shook her head. "My mother pushed all of her work aside for the day and you instead push her out."

"Can it. I can't have anymore questions at the moment. Do you know how tiring it is to answer so much of everyone's question. I guess that's the price of fame." Sun had a cocky smirk on his face which Lillie didn't like one bit. Seeing this, Sun hung his head low. "Fine. I'll tell the people off… later."

"Sun!"

"What?" Sun winked slyly at her. "You don't want a bunch of adults supervising us, do you? I mean, something might happen if you get my memo." Sun burst out in laughter after seeing Lillie in a hot mess. "Relax. I'm just messing with you. Heh. Same old Lillie."

Lillie stared down at the floor, her cheeks beet red. Her thoughts drifted to what Sun almost implied, making her even more flustered when she envisioned it. She noticed that Snowy was no longer with her.

"Where's Snowy!?"

Snowy was wandering around the plaza. She came across a nice man near a Drifblim inflatable that told her the most of the pokémon were in there. Curiously, she stepped right in.

 _ **In the Stomp-Stomp House...**_

"Pika! Pikachu!" Snowy could hear her friend, Pikachu inside. What she saw made her regret her decision.

"Stee!" It appeared that Pikachu was trying to hold back a furious Steenee. A Decidueye, which Snowy assumed to be the pokémon of Lillie's friend Sun, stood there boredly. Steenee's yelling was directed to Decidueye.

Snowy sweatdropped, not knowing what to do now in the bouncy house full of pokémon. At the corner, she spotted a Ninetales sitting on her launches, minding her own business. It also seemed to be one of Sun's pokémon. She steadily walked towards her and cooed softly.

Ninetales gazed down and smiled warmly. She invited her to sit with her and the two began talking. It mostly consisted of what to expect as a Ninetales and gossip about their trainers. Their conversation was interrupted when Poipole started to bounce all over the place, causing everyone to bounce because of the force of its jump.

Steenee accidentally rammed into Decidueye and everything went loose.

Back with Sun...

"I'm sure they're fine. My Decidueye is very well-behaved." The four trainer were currently at the Friendship Café. They already ordered and were now enjoying their meals.

Occasionally, Lillie stole glances at Sun, watching him eat his Friendship Combo. She let out a squeak when her eyes met Sun's. He had caught her in the act.

"What? Want some of my Friendship Drink?" Sun asked. Lillie's face started to heat up at the offer. "Oh come on. Don't be such a baby about it. I'm not carrying a disease or anything.

"O-okay…" Lillie grabbed the drink and slowly sipped from the straw. She put it back afterwards and refused to meet his eye. She only did it because Sun offered. It'd be rude to turn down.

"See? Was that so bad?" Sun clicked his tongue and resumed eating. Lillie's embarrassment further increased when he continued to sip his drink with the straw that she used.

"Psst. Sun!" A voice whispered. Since Lillie was beside Sun, she easily heard it too. She turned to see Mina hiding behind a trash can. Sun wiped his mouth with a napkin and hopped out of his seat.

"I'm going to go use the restroom. When can head to a spot to go see the fireworks when I come back," Sun said, making his way over to the trash can. Mina dragged him behind the Café and Lillie could discreetly hear Mina's yelling.

"What are you playing at?" Lillie was surprised to see that it was Hau who spoke to her.

"Excuse me?" Lillie didn't understand his question.

"Why are you being nice to Sun all of the sudden? I thought you hated him and he hated you," Hau replied coldly. Lillie grimaced, figuring out what he was talking about.

"I d-don't hate him," Lillie responded truthfully. Why was Hau talking to her about this now that Sun left?

"You're lying! You must be playing some kind of trick on him. The Sun I know wouldn't have forgiven someone like you so easily!"

"What do you mean someone like me?"

"You better stop what you're doing now." Hau avoided her question. "I'm not having Sun leave again! He can't… he…" Hau ran away from the café, having enough of her for the day.

"Hau!" Sophocles prepared to go after Hau. "Don't worry too much about it, Lillie. Hau's still upset about what happened."

"Why is he taking it out on me?" She asked, sadness evident on her face.

"It's best to talk to Sun about that," Sophocles replied. "And if he asks where we went, tell him we decided to head to the fireworks watching spot already." With that, Sophocles went after Hau.

"Stupid Mina. I didn't agree with the boss on that." Sun came back with a bruise on his cheek. He quickly noticed his friends' absences. "Where'd Hau and Sophocles go? We were supposed to go watch the fireworks together."

Lillie gazed down at the counter. "T-they left early. They'll m-meet you there?" She stammered, conflicted by Hau's words. It was as if he blamed her for Sun leavin Alola. Was that why he became so distant around her?

"Guess Hau couldn't control his excitement," Sun chuckled. "We should go catch up with them. Come on, Lillie!" He grabbed her hand and led her to the Stomp-Stomp House where he dropped off his pokémon. To his confusion, every time he tried to speak to Lillie, she didn't even spare him a glance.

They stood beside the bouncy house. "Oi! Froslass! Vanilluxe! Glaceon! Sandslash! Ninetales! Decidueye! It's time to go!" Sun hollered. One by One, his pokémon emerged from the bouncy house, each appearing a little banged up. Decidueye came out with grace, though some of his feathers came out with him. Lastly, Ninetales and Snowy exited the bouncy house together.

"They sure hit it off," Sun mused. He frowned, still receiving no reply from Lillie. "Alright fellas! The fireworks are going to begin very soon so we should go." The pokémon, minus Decidueye, cheered at this.

They all departed from the Festival Plaza together, though Sun was getting fed up with Lillie's silent treatment. After a few minutes of walking, Sun was at his limit and dragged her to the side. They weren't at the site but learning what Lillie was so glum about was more important than a couple of fireworks.

"Okay. Out with it. What's up."

 _ **Outside of Stomp-Stomp House...**_

"Steenee!" Mallow gasped. Ash and Mallow finished dining at Rare Kitchen and came to pick up their pokémon. The condition that they were in was baffling, to say the least.

"Pikachu! You too?" Ash discovered that it wasn't just Pikachu, but also Lycanroc, Rowlet, and Torracat. They all were pretty beat up, with Pikachu and Steenee having swirls in their eyes.

"What happened!? Weren't you supposed to keep an eye on them?" Mallow shouted at the owner of the facility.

"Sure I was," He responded coolly. "Some Decidueye started a fight with your Steenee. Their buddies joined in and the Decidueye's team won," He explained.

"So you didn't try to stop them and just watched!?"

"Pretty much," The owner said with a mouth pop at the end.

"Gr… wait until I-"

"The fireworks are about to begin! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, the pamphlet in its hands. This got everyone's attention. The only reason they came here was to see the fireworks.

"I'll deal with you later! We got to get moving or we'll miss it, Ash!" Mallow snatched his hand and the two started to run in equal speed. Ash wanted to let go, having the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach again, but they wouldn't make it any other way so he dismissed the idea.

Along the way, Ash swore that he saw Sun and Lillie off the path. He thought about telling them to get a move on too, but he couldn't really do anything with Mallow forcing him to go with her.

The two reached to the pier just in time. They found Kiawe at the center and met up with him.

"Ash! Mallow! You two finally made It! I thought you both were going to miss the fireworks," Kiawe said as they panted. The running had tired them out.

"Where's everyone else?" Ash asked, not knowing that the question annoyed Mallow.

"Lana's over there with the twins and Popplio." Kiawe pointed his thumb back. Lana wasn't as eager as the twins were. "She's been like that for hours now. I hope she'll be alright."

Kiawe continued, "I got of glimpse of Sophocles earlier. He's with Hau but I don't know exactly where the two are. I was one of the first ones here and I didn't see Lillie at all," He finished worriedly.

"That's odd," Ash mumbled. Before any more words were exchanged, the sound of a firework soaring to the sky filled their ears.

There were different types of fireworks. Red, green, blue, purple, yellow and orange. Each exploded in the air, created many sparks the formed into a circle formation. Ash gasped lightly, the show was impressing him. The same went for Kiawe and Mallow, the latter having cooled down.

After a few seconds, a big yellow firework zoomed to the sky and exploded, making a smiling Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out, astonished by the sight. Then another firework cackled, this time in the form of a Rowlet. Ash's Rowlet chirped, acknowledging it.

Two more fireworks went off, this time creating a Popplio and a Litten. The three heard Lana's Popplio bark happily.

"It's Litten!" Mallow exclaimed. The fireworks didn't look like they were going to stop at this rate. "So cute!" Mallow couldn't take her eyes off the sky.

"Next up is the finale, big fireworks!" Kiawe informed them with his pamphlet. True to his word, more than a dozen fireworks took to the sky and exploded, but this time they spread wider. Ash thought it could take up the whole sky. It stopped for a second, before one huge pink firework erupted, resembling a dome. The usual small fireworks acted as a background for it while a dozen small flaming red firecrackers set off in the middle. The show ended and everyone clapped.

"Fireworks are the best!" Ash cheered loudly. He stopped when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Ash." Mallow spoke, smiling bashfully. "I just want to thank you for accompanying me. You must've thought I was rude earlier but you still treated me as the same. I had a lot of fun together, we should do it again," She suggested.

Ash blinked, feeling his face get warmer for some odd reason. He shook it off and grinned. "Definitely!" Not even a second later, a weird ball-like object started to fly in center and detonated.

 _ **Back with Lillie and Sun...**_

Before the firework show began, Sun was towering over Lillie, who huddled up against a tree.

"I'm waiting." Sun tapped his foot. "We can be here all night. I don't care. So tell me, what's been bothering you lately?" The pokémon had wandered off, giving them space.

Lillie gulped, averting her gaze. "D-do you hate me?"

"Hate you? Well, I guess not," Sun responded honestly. "Was that it?"

"Did you ever hate me?"

Sun sighed, "There was a time. Yes." Lillie's eyes threatened to water at his answer. "But that's the past. Does it really matter now?"

"Yes it does!" Lillie almost screamed. Sun flinched slightly. "You even hated me when you came back to Alola! Why, Sun? Why!?"

"It doesn't matter. You wouldn't understand. Let's just drop it and go see the fireworks." He was met with a slap to the cheek.

"I don't care about some stupid fireworks. I only came because of you, Sun! Don't you get it?" Lillie shouted, loud enough for the pokémon to hear. They all watched the scene unfold.

"Because of me? Why do you still care about me?! I thought I was some sort of leech that everyone avoided!" Sun started to raise his voice, frustration building up. "And don't go with the 'you hated me' nonsense. You were the same to me too!"

"I never hated you!"

"Oh yeah?" Sun chuckled darkly. "Where were you during my time of need? Where were you when I felt like the entire world was against me!? I thought I could depend on my best friend but even she turned her back on me! She never backed me up when I needed it! So stop lying, Lillie! You hated me too!" He barked in her face.

"You sided with Team Skull!" Lillie countered. "You were the one who turned your back on me! You didn't even care. You always had some excuse to not talk to me. You were a bully to everyone, including me! You avoided me. The Sun I knew always cared about me." Lillie hugged him tightly, letting the tears get on his shirt. "But that wasn't you. You were a big jerk! A stupid…" She banged her fist on his chest. "...stupid, stupid jerk!"

"Lillie…" Sun welcomed the embrace, letting her cry freely. "Don't you remember that day. The day I told you and everyone to trust me. Only Sophocles did and you see why we're still friends and why I hated the rest of you." He rubbed her back soothingly.

Lillie looked up at him. "I did trust you! I always do. You never break a promise. I knew that. But I let the others get to me," She admitted.

"What do you mean?" Sun questioned seriously.

"The others kept trying to tell me to stop hanging around you. It happened every time I saw one of them. I never listened but then that day that you yelled at me to go away, it made me really sad. I think it was Mallow that managed to convince me that you were a bad guy. Why did you have to be so mean, Sun? We would have still been friends…" Lillie broke down into more tears, smothering her face on Sun's shirt.

 _'This is my fault. All this time I blamed her. But she still trusted me, unlike the others.'_ The sudden realization hit him like a bag of bricks. Even Sun started to shed a few tears because of how clueless he was.

"W-why are you cr-crying?" Lillie sniffled.

"Because I've been so stupid!" Sun scolded himself. "I should've known that my best friend would never betray me intentionally. Instead, I did. I was the one who triggered it. It's all my fault."

"It's not-"

"Yes it is!" Sun cut her off, causing Lillie eyes to widen at how loud he was. "You're an amazing friend. You're smart, kind, pretty, generous... you're... you're everything! I don't deserve to be friends with someone like you. You're too good enough for me. You're better off finding someone else to replace me. I'm just an idiot that deserves to be alone for what I've done." Sun turned his back

against Lillie, too ashamed to face her.

"Sun." Lillie spun him around and clenched his hands tightly. She stared directly into his pale blue eyes. "You shouldn't be downing yourself. It was a mistake. One that you did deserve for being so mean..." Sun's face dropped. "But you faced the consequences on your own. You learned from your mistakes and grew as a better person! You're an amazing friend too! You're defining personality traits are why I considered you my best friend! I understand why you did what you did. You thought we all stopped caring about you but you're wrong. Even after everything, I still care for you. I always will. "

Lillie cupped his cheek softly. She raised her head up and planted a kiss on his cheek. Her lips lingered for a few more seconds before she pulled back and nestled her head on his neck.

"Geez, Lillie. You're making me feel more worse about it now." Sun laughed weakly, wiping the stray tears from the corner of his eyes.

"I did it because I care a lot about you, Sun. You were always there for me so I should return the favor." Her face tinged red as she stared at him with half-lidded eyes. "Can... can we be friends again?" She asked hopefully.

Sun blushed, though he liked the compliment. He ruffled her hair a bit. "Is that even a question? Of course we can. Can we just pretend none of the drama happened and continue where we left off?"

"Absolutely." Lillie felt her life coming back together. Now she and Sun were truly friends again. They shared everything that bothered them about each other. Though, Lillie still had one more question. "Sun, why'd you join Team Skull in the first place."

"I figured that question was coming." Sun was no longer going to hide the truth from her. He cared a lot about their friendship and never wanted to damage it again. "You remember what Sophocles told everyone about me being missing?" He felt her nod her head in his arms. "That wasn't a prank. Team Skull captured me. Said I'd be a perfect asset to their team. I pretended that I was with them. I couldn't break character because they had eyes everywhere. Heh. It's funny. It all ended with the leader going to jail." Sun grimaced when Lillie slugged his shoulder hard.

"You dummy. Why didn't you just tell us in the first place? None of this would have ever happened."

"It's like I said. Team Skull was everywhere. They were in much bigger numbers. If I told any one of you then you were at risk of being in danger with Team Skull. That time I gathered you all, I didn't have time to even tell you all the truth which is why I wanted you all to trust me. In the end, since Team Skull was no more, I went to talk with Sophocles and told him everything," Sun finished.

He had finally told someone else the truth. Something he's been trying to cover up to anyone that he deemed awful. When he thought about It, he never told Lana either. But that was different. Lillie never lost faith in him, only doing so when he snapped at her.

"It all makes sense now," Lillie lamented. Hau was right. "So you left Alola because of us?"

"Yes. When everyone lost faith in me, I took it very hard. Yours is what hurt me the most." He played with a strand of her hair. "It was like a betrayal. With everyone mad at me I didn't think I could ever repair the damage. Which is why I left. I couldn't bare with the emotional pain."

"Sun…" Lillie felt bad for Sun. She still had all her friends but Sun lost most of his. She couldn't imagine what it felt like being hated by ones she cared about. "Are you ever going to tell the others?"

"I don't know. If I weil, it'd be on my own terms. I rather tell them myself. You understand, right?"

Lillie nodded. It was his own personal story. He shared it with her which took a lot of courage. It made her wonder if some of his friendships were unfixable. That mainly involved one green haired person.

"I promise I'll never leave Alola unless it's for a good reason. I want to stay here with you," Sun declared. Lillie's heart felt like it was about to explode. "With the others too, but you mean the most to me."

"Sun..." The fireworks show began, but that didn't matter to Lillie right now. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." Lillie turned herself around and pressed her back against Sun's chest. He hugged her from behind and the two watched the rest of the fireworks show together.

"Lillie."

"Hm?"

Sun hesitated but spoke what was on his mind. "If anything happens to me, will you take care of my pokémon?" He asked quietly. Hearing that made Lillie's heart drop. "You see, Team Skull has been on my tail. I thought I could trick them again by pretending that I was with them but some guy found out I was lying and raided my house. It's the reason why I'm staying over at Lana's."

"You're staying at Lana's house?" For some reason, this didn't suit well for her.

"Yep. But it has been a bit weird staying there. I don't know. I was thinking about bunking with Sophocles until my house is safe again." Lillie came up with an idea that benefited the both of them.

"You can stay with me at the mansion," Lillie offered shyly. "We have tons of room. I'm sure Hobbes will be glad to see you again." Sun would have a roof over his head and she'd get to spend more time with Sun. It was a win for everyone.

"That actually sounds perfect. But…" Sun had one issue with this. "I don't know what Lana would think. Probably that she was a bad house host. Tapu knows she needs all the support she can get right now. The fight between Mallow and I shook her up. It's best if I stay there for a little while longer for Lana. Ask me again another time and it's a deal." Sun forgot to mention one small detail. That involved the other house guest at Lana's house.

"Sure." Although she was disappointed, Sun had a point. "And I'll be glad to take care of your pokémon. Just please be careful so it doesn't have to come to that."

Sun was about to respond but heard a loud beeping noise from his pocket. "No way! So soon?" Lillie watched as he pulled out a strange device that resembled a radar gun that an Officer Jenny uses to check speeding. But it was colored black with yellow glowing lights surrounding it.

"Sun? What are you doing?" She was given her answer when Sun pointed to the sky. There was some sort of weird glowing sphere floating on its own. It started to bounce all over the place until it finally nestled on an odd looking body. It was standing on a little island from afar. The unfamiliar creature played with the sphere before it disappeared from their view. It was still somewhere since Sun's device kept beeping.

Sun quickly whipped out his phone and dialed Mina. She picked up just as fast as Sun called her. "Mina! Did you see that!? It has to be UB-Burst!!! The description matches!" Lillie had no clue what Sun was talking about but he made it sound important.

The creature came back to view in the sky and its sphere created many firework-like explosions. It stopped when a ripple in the sky silently formed. Sun wouldn't had noticed it if It wasn't for the beeping to switch over to the tear in the sky. He just barely caught a glimpse of a slender like hand come down from the tear and dropped on a nearby island.

The other beast that created the fireworks landed on its own small rocky island and galloped away. The tear in the sky also vanished.

"Mina, we so have to meet up right now! This is so important for our… painting." Sun realized that Lillie was standing right beside him. "P-L1 is near me. Yeah, so at M-H2O then? Great! I'll meet you there." Sun ended the call.

"Guys! We have to go!" Sun's pokémon grouped up with their trainer. Snowy trotted next to Lillie, sad that her new friend Ninetales had to go.

"What's going on?" Lillie's mind was full of questions. Why was the mysterious creature so important. Why did he had to go with Mina? What was those codes that he used?

"Right…" Sun had to deal with Lillie. In the heat of the moment, Sun planted a kiss on her cheek that was dangerously close to her lips.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Got to go now. Bye!" His words came out fast and before Lillie knew It, he was gone.

"Sun…" Lillie leaned against a tree and touched the place where Sun kissed her on the cheek.

Her eyes suddenly shot open. "Oh no! I forgot about mother!"

Sun was walking to the path to the Marina. Judging by where the beasts landed they had to check the stray islands first. He didn't care how long it'll take, he had to find them.

He pulled out the gift that he received from Lusamine. A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes as he held it.

"I'm coming for you two. One way or the other, I will catch you both. Heh… boss and Mina don't even know what's coming."

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Author's Note: I might hold off the mini arc I had for Sun and save it for the episode where Necrozma debuts. Sun's other side will be revealed next chapter which will be released either tomorrow or Monday. Stay tuned!**_


	14. Betrayed

**_Author's Note: Remember all that light hearted fluff last chapter? Well it's gone and gets serious in this one! There is a battle in this chapter too. Also, thanks for the kind reviews, it always makes my day even if it's just a little. I appreciate it greatly for those that do. The ending is a bit rushed but I couldn't think of anything else so... yeah. Nothing else much to say until the end of the chapter so enjoy!_**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

It was a make-up school day. After finding out that Sun cancelled two school days without his consent, Professor Kukui rang everyone's parents/guardians to inform them that there was school on a Sunday.

None of them seemed to mind. It meant more time to spend with friends. Ash, Kiawe, Mallow, and Sophocles gathered around the balcony. Their pokémon were listening in on their conversation.

Lillie and Lana were in their seats for different reasons. Lillie wanted to steer clear of a particular green haired girl while Lana just wanted to be left alone.

"I wonder if Sun will come today," Lillie said to Snowy, her chin resting on her hand. She petted Snowy's back as she talked. Ever since they cleared up their misunderstanding yesterday evening, Lillie wanted to hang out with Sun after school like they used to do. Maybe she would take him to the mansion and surprise Hobbes with Sun. Although, considering the amount of people that supported Sun, Hobbes might have found out about now.

Lana had a dark stormy cloud above her head. She was in a foul mood this morning and isolated herself from her friends so she wouldn't snap at them out of stress. Her Popplio imitated its trainer, bummed out of having to miss out on breakfast. They had to skip the meal due to their late awakening.

Ash rested his elbow on the railing and talked with his friends. "The fireworks man yesterday sure was interesting." He was a little baffled that the _'fireworks man'_ was literally a few feet in front of him.

"What do you think it was?" Sophocles asked. He too spotted the mysterious creature while he was watching the fireworks with Hau.

"Perhaps it was a pokémon," Kiawe guessed. He wasn't complaining. The extra fireworks left him crying tears of joy. It was one of the best things he ever witnessed.

Mallow turned to Ash. "If so, could it be an Ultra Beast?"

"Maybe. But it still was pretty amazing," Ash replied cheekily. Before another word was said, the school bell started to ring rapidly. This alerted everyone in the classroom.

"Ah!" Rotom panicked, knowing what the drill was for.

Professor Kukui quickly pushed the chalkboard up, revealing a scientific panel with glowing green lights and a blue circle in the middle.

"Ultra Guardians! Get to the base, right now!" He told them urgently. The worried tone in his voice was evident.

"Another Ultra Beast?" Sophocles said. "So your theory was correct, Mallow!"

"Yeah!" Professor Kukui responded. "Please hurry!" He slammed his fist on the blue circle, causing the floor below them to start going down.

Everyone got closer together to fit in the area. The usual clothing transformation occurred. The Ultra Guardians let the magic do its work. The pokémon and Rotom each received a necklace with a small orb attached to the middle.

One by one, the Ultra Guardians landed, along with the pokémon. They were now at the Ultra Guardians base. Lusamine's Clefable, also known as the caretaker of the base, greeted them.

A large hologram appeared in front of them, revealing Lusamine, Professor Burnet, and Wicke.

"Ultra Guardians! Alola!" Lusamine said.

"Alola!" Everyone but Lana replied back.

"Wicke told me about what happened last night. Too bad Professor Burnet and I couldn't see this because we were trapped in a castle by an angry mob." Lusamine's gaze was directed towards Lillie.

The blonde haired girl chuckled nervously, "To be fair, that was Sun. I wonder where he is." Lillie questioned, not caring what anyone would say to her about it.

"Yes. That's partly why I called you all here," Lusamine revealed sternly. Now Lillie was truly focused on what her mother had to say. The hologram changed, showing a clip of the creature they saw yesterday.

"It's the fireworks man!" Ash noted.

"That's right. This fireworks man-like creature… we've researched it and concluded that it is an Ultra Beast," Lusamine informed them. The Ultra Guardians straightened up at the mention of an Ultra Beast.

"Really!?" Ash gasped. The hologram changed scenes, this time in the form of a picture. It was a bit blurry but Lusamine zoomed in on one particular spot and put it on high resolution.

"And it appears that someone else discovered this before us." There was a person on the rocky island the the firework man was on. It was none other than-

"Sun?!" The Ultra Guardians cried out, Lillie being the loudest.

"We discovered an Ultra Hole reaction near the coastline," Professor Burnet started. "We're working as fast as we can right now to figure out exactly where it opened.

"So it was an Ultra Beast," Mallow acknowledged, her previous assumption being correct.

"Quite a showy Ultra Beast, don't you think?" Kiawe mused.

"We've named this Ultra Beast, Blacephalon." Lusamine gave them its name.

"Blacephalon?" Ash repeated, confused.

"Rotom, please update your data," Lusamine instructed it.

"Roger that! Bzzt!" With the help of Clefable, Rotom was able to get new information on Blacephalon. "Blacephalon, the fireworks pokémon. It's a fire and ghost type. It started its foes by making its own head explode and absorbs their surprised reactions to energize itself," Rotom explained to the Ultra Guardians.

Sophocles seemed to have figured it out. "So the reason it kept on startling us…"

"...was to absorb energy!" Kiawe finished for him. "Strange one indeed." All of a sudden, the lights went out, encasing the Ultra Guardians into darkness.

"Dark!" Sophocles instantly freaked out. "Scary! Dark! Scary!" Togedemaru chases after him and bumped into her trainer. She provided a light for Sophocles. "Thank you, Togedemaru," He sighed in relief.

Lillie looked around, forming a plan. "Is there a backup power source anywhere?" Clefable came to the rescue since she knew the base well. She pushed a button, causing the lights to come back on.

"What was that?" Ash wondered as they all grouped up again.

"I'd really rather avoid this kind of trouble." Sophocles rubbed the back of his neck basically. He had to admit, he overreacted a tiny bit. It was normal to him, he needed the light or else he couldn't sleep. Sophocles was lucky to have a electric-type partner that could generate light.

"Everyone, we've found the spot!" Lusamine alerted them when the power came back. "A strong Ultra Aura has been detected in the southern part of Melemele Island's Route Three, by the power lines." She stood up from her chair and pointed at them.

"Ultra Guardians, move out!"

"Ult-roger!" They all said at once. The Ultra Guardians went back up and entered their ride pokémon.

Lillie thought about the whole situation as she boarded her Altaria. She pondered why no one else voiced their concern about Sun's inclusion in all of this. Could her mother and the professors be right? With the Beast Ball in possession, is he going to catch it on his own?

 _'He did seem rather excited when we saw Blacephalon. Sun knew what the Ultra Beast was since he had a special name for it.'_ Lillie thought. Was he simply just curious or was there some other kind of motive? One that she hoped wasn't true.

The Ultra Guardians and their ride pokémon flew up to the surface and took off to the sky.

Lana was still upset about everything that happened yesterday. However, being an Ultra Guardian was a special privilege given to her. She was going to act professional and get the job done. Pushing her feelings to the side, she started to get pumped up to catch an Ultra Beast.

Ash noticed Pikachu's cheeks sparking with electricity. "Pikachu, do you feel something?" Pikachu didn't get a chance to respond as the electricity suddenly went away.

"Pika?" Pikachu tried to get the electricity source again but it was gone.

"Something's up. Let's hurry!" Ash exclaimed, making his ride pokémon go faster.

Several minutes have passed and the Ultra Guardians were following the line of power lines. To their shock, the end of it had fallen off and was on the ground. They eventually came across an area without any grass. The building that transmitted the energy to the power lines was toppled over, crushing a part of the steel gate. The group discovered a black slender-like creature collapsed on the dirt.

"What is that? It's not Blacephalon!" Ash pointed out incredulously. There was something else off in the distance, or rather, someone. A line of pokémon was acting as their shield.

Lillie gasped, not believing what she was seeing.

"It's Sun!"

 ** _Down below..._**

"Heh. Now Sandslash, Icicle Crash! Ninetales, Ice Shards! Glaceon, Ice Fang! Vanilluxe, Flash Cannon! And Decidueye, Spirit Shackle!" Sun ordered his pokémon to unleash their most devastating attacks at the same time. He started to laugh nonstop, seeing his plan almost complete.

"Uh, Sun. Might want to tone it down a bit." Mina was standing behind the steel gate. Sun's new behavior frightened her a little, not that she'd admit it. He had told her he wouldn't be destroying any Ultra Beasts. By the looks of it, he was about to do the deed anyway.

"Relax. I'm the one in charge here so shut your mouth and watch," Sun barked. He turned back to the scene of the attacks hitting the Ultra Beast and grinned evilly.

"Now it's z-move time to finish this off. Decidueye!" Sun called for his starter pokémon to finish the job. He placed his Decidium Z-crystal in his z-ring. Decidueye stood in front of his trainer and got into position.

"Powerful. Pointy. This is stronger and sharper than a swords blade. Now prepare to face our Arrow Sinister Raid!" The power transferred over to Decidueye. The arrow quill pokémon had more than a dozen arrows surrounding him. Decidueye started to fly towards the temporarily fallen Ultra Beast at an unimaginable speed. The attack worked like a charm and each arrow hit its target.

"Excellent! UB-03 Lightning has been seized." Sun dug through his pocket and felt the weirdly shaped Beast Ball in it. Now all he had to do was catch it.

"Sun!" Someone cried out his name and it wasn't Mina. Sun quickly slipped the Beast Ball back. "What are you doing!?" He looked up to see Ash, Kiawe, Lana, Lillie, Mallow, and Sophocles on pokémon that were capable of flying.

"If they have ride pokémon then I really do need one too..." Sun drawled out. "Mina! Hide!" Since he was already caught, it was best if she hid. No point in the both of them getting exposed.

"Right!" Mina went off to go hide in one of the bushes. Sun cracked his knuckles and had a giant grin on his face as the Ultra Guardians were landing.

"Haha! What are you dweebs wearing?" Sun laughed, finding their clothing a riot. Lana was the first one to get off her ride pokémon and marched up to Sun. "Yo water girl, what's the haps? Going to catch a-"

 **Slap!**

"For the love of Tapu! That hurt like a-"

"Quiet down, you!" Lana shouted at the fallen Sun. "You never came home yesterday! Do you know how worried we all were? Moon kept badgering me about your whereabouts. Do you know how annoying she is when she gets overprotective of you?" Her rare signs of anger were occurring more frequently than usual. And it was mainly involving the boy in front of her.

"I do actually. Which is why I believe you're loads better than Moon. Like really better," Sun purred, getting up and pressing his shoulder against her body. "Have I ever told you how pretty you are?"

Lana flushed and pushed Sun away from her. "Why are you acting so weird?!"

"Come on, water girl. Don't be so naive." He brought his face closer to hers. "That Moon girl sent me a bunch of these pictures with pages of your diary on it like an hour ago. I got to say, you're pretty descriptive when it comes to prompts that include me."

 _'MOON!!!'_ Lana screamed in her mind. She thought she hid it well, but Moon had found it so fast. This was it. Her life was over. She could never show her face again. Especially to Sun. She wondered if her mother would allow her to move to Poni Island. Then she'd-

"So let's do it. Let's make _your reality_ come true. I promise I won't delete your friends or anything crazy like that."

 _'Eh!?'_ There was no way this was happening right now. He didn't even hesitate to answer. He accepted her feelings so easily. Was everything starting to turn up great for her now?

"Lana, step back!" Sun glared at the newcomers approaching them. He backed up with his pokémon around him.

"Sun! What are you doing here?! Why are you attacking that Ultra Beast?" Ash asked, bewilderment present in his face. He never expected Sun to get involved with Ultra Beasts.

"It's the only way to tame it, no?" Sun scratched his head. "So since it was camping at that tower thing, I thought I might as well knock it down."

"Don't you know that it knocks down the power for everyone?" Sophocles asked him.

"So?" Sun brushed him off. "The Ultra Beast is weak right now. My pokémon can take on anything." A dark substance flash through his eyes for a moment before vanishing. "Including all of you if you don't get out of my way," He growled viciously.

"Sun?"

Sun smirked evilly. "Hai! Sandslash, Earthquake!" Sandslash got in front of Sun and struck his claw into the ground, causing the ground to shake. The Ultra Guardians and their pokémon lost their footing. "Come to papa!" Sun tossed his Beast Ball towards UB-03 Lightning. It shook left and right for a few seconds before going still.

"Decidueye!" The arrow quill pokémon hit the Beast Ball with his wing and it landed in Sun's hand. "It's mine now!" Sun boasted, flaunting his Beast Ball in the air. "UB-03 Lightning has been secured!"

Ash sat up, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness. A device inside his glove turned on, creating a small hologram. Lusamine was there.

"Ash, do you copy? We've verified the information from your side. Another Ultra Beast has appeared at the same time as Blacephalon," Lusamine informed him.

Ash peered his attention to Sun. "We got that. There's a problem. Sun's here and he's captured this new Ultra Beast!" Ash and his friends got back up. The pokémon got into battle stance, feeling threatened by Sun's attack.

"What!?" Lusamine hissed. Her briefing wasn't going to help now. "New task Ultra Guardians! Stop Sun! Use any method possible!" The hologram disappeared. Ash shifted his focus back to Sun.

"I heard rumors about some downbeat team trying to send these beasts to their home. Seems like you six match the description," Sun sneered. He safely tucked the Beast Ball in his backpack. "I hate to burst your bubble, no that's a lie. I'm going to enjoy telling you all that you've failed your mission. I've been tracking down these Ultra Beasts for quite some time. I had my sources and learned quite a lot while I was at Kanto." Sun tilted his head down, a dark shadow looming the upper portion of his face.

"Who in their right mind really told you about Ultra Beasts!?" Mallow demanded. She knew she was right about Sun. He turned out to be wanting these Ultra Beasts for himself like the greedy trainer he is.

"They want to remain anonymous for understandable reasons. I'm sure you'd all be shocked to find out if I ever tell ya!" He laughed, imaginable their faces.

Lillie slowly approached him. "Sun, don't do anything that you'll regret. You're just confused. If you hand the Beast Ball over, we will forget this ever happened," She offered. There was no reason for him wanting an Ultra Beast. He had a full and powerful team as it is. It was probably out of curiosity and that was fine. Sun could've just asked her to tag along for a mission. All of this was really unnecessary, especially after their emotional talk.

"As if!" Mallow interjected angrily. "Look at him, Lillie! He's a bad guy whether you like it or not. Ultra Beasts hold unthinkable power. He just wants it for himself. Why else would he need an Ultra Beast?"

Mallow wanted to shove it down everyone's face that she was right about Sun. She never bought his act for a second. She tried to warn Ash in the past but he wouldn't listen either. But it wasn't the time to showboat, they had to get that Beast Ball.

"Why I never!" Sun stared at Lillie with his best puppy dog eyes. "I am confused, Lillie. Don't listen to Mallow. Remember the talk we had yesterday? As your best friend, would I ever lie to you?" Lillie's composure faltered. Seeing Sun so apologetic made her rethink her plan.

"Don't feed Lillie your lies!" Kiawe cut in. "What kind of confused person captures an Ultra Beasts?"

Sophocles stepped in. "Sun, I promise we won't go that hard on you. You might get punished for this but I'll try my best to convince them to go easy on you. I'm sure there is a logical explanation for your actions. Hand over the Ultra Beast for your own good," He advised his friend.

It dazed him to see Sun commit such an act. He believed Lillie was right. Although confused might not be the term he'd use.

"Shut it, you short stack of pancakes. I don't need your help nor will I ever. I ain't handing over anything," Sun scoffed. These people were pestering him to the point of wanting to let out an exasperated yell.

"W-what?" Sophocles' eyes drooped. Why would Sun say something like that? He was emotionally hurt by the comment.

"Even Sophocles?" Ash muttered. Sophocles was Sun's friend. To witness him bad mouth his friend was baffling to say the least. Lusamine tasked them to stop Sun. If words weren't going to set him straight then they need a different approach.

Mallow was one step ahead of him. "Enough talking. He isn't going to listen. We're going to have to make him. Steenee, use Double Slap!" She ordered. Steenee ran towards Sun in order to do the move.

"Seriously? Well, you're asking for it." Sun shrugged before grinning madly. "Froslass, Shadow Ball," He commanded, not caring to much about the incoming Steenee.

Froslass conjured up a Shadow Ball with her hands. She increased its size and chucked it at Steenee.

"Steenee!" Mallow cried out. The Shadow Ball it Steenee right in her face, knocking her out instantly.

"If it's a battle you want then it's a battle you'll get. Come at me with all ya got!" Sun challenged. He didn't have a problem with battling everyone in the area.

"You got this guys! It's our only chance!" Mallow urged them to follow her failed lead.

Kiawe was the first to go in. "Okay! Marowak, Iron Head!"

Sun yawned, "Vanilluxe, Freeze-Dry." Vanilluxe formed a cloud over Marowak and a heavy amount of snow crashed down onto it. Marowak was turned into a block of ice.

Kiawe gritted his teeth. "Turtonator! Go help Marowak!' Turtonator prepared to shoot out his Flamethrower to thaw his friend's icy predicament.

"Ice Beam!" Vanilluxe used both of his mouths to shoot out one big Ice Beam. Turtonator found himself in a block of ice too.

"Pfft. And they say ice-type pokémon are the worst," Sun said to no one in particular, though he winked elsewhere.

Sophocles was hesitant but took a dive at it. "Togedemaru, Zig Zap!" Togedemaru surrounded her body with electricity and threw herself into Sun.

"Ninetales, Dazzling Gleam!" Similar to Togedemaru, a bright colorful light encircled Ninetales' barrel. She charged at Togedemaru and slammed her body to hers. Ninetales' easily overpowered Togedemaru and knocked her out without a hitch.

"No!" Sophocles watched his pokémon land a few feet in front of him, defeated. "Charjabug, use Discharge!"

"Overpower it with Ice Beam!" Charjabug extracted electricity out of its body and directed it at Ninetales. Ninetales let out an Ice Beam from her mouth. The two attacks collided for only a second before Ice Beam from easily overcomed the Discharge. Charjabug met the same fate as Kiawe's two pokémon.

"Ash, you have to go next! Or at least unfreeze the frozen pokémon," Mallow said, pointing at the frozen Marowak, Turtonator, and Charjabug. Ash nodded. He didn't like how Sun was acting. It was almost like he was a whole other person. He was going to have to knock some sense into Sun so the old one would come back.

"No. I got this." Lana stopped Ash, surprising him.

"No offense, Lana but your one pokémon doesn't stand a chance. Ash here has a better shot." Mallow spoke her first words to Lana since yesterday. It just didn't make sense for her to take Ash's spot at the moment.

"Sun's not himself. And that's why I'm going to snap him out of it." Lana had a dark shadow cover her face, stopping above her nose. Her eyes were narrowed, a piercing glare shot towards Sun.

"Lana?" Mallow didn't know what to make of this sudden change in Lana. If she were honest, it scared her quite a bit.

"Popplio, let's go teach that boy who's boss. Then we can get the old Sun back," Lana said in a low voice. Popplio gulped but nodded anyway. It was frightened by her new behavior too.

"What's this? The small fragile little water girl wants to hang with the top dog? And to think that I actually proposed to go out with you!" Sun burst out laughing, not seeing Lana as a threat whatsoever.

That hit Lana more than it should've. This only aggravated her even more. "You think I'm just some hesitant crybaby that should stick to the sidelines. My name isn't water girl, it's Lana and I'm going to prove you wrong!" She declared, an evil smile on her face as she stared down Sun with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Woah." Sun reeled back, feeling a bit spooked by this. "Grr… that's it. I'll teach you a lesson and maybe then you'll know your place. Sandslash, finish this wimpy Popplio with Ice Ball." He didn't even spare Lana another glance. She wasn't worth his time. Sandslash cupped his cheeks with his claws and spat out an Ice Ball, shooting it at Popplio.

"Reflect it with a water balloon. Just like we practiced." Lana commanded with the shadow still lingering on the upper part of her face. Popplio used its nose to make a small water bubble, which gradually got bigger. After it was satisfied, Popplio let go of the water balloon and used it as a shield to reflect the Ice Ball.

It worked like a charm.

Sun's jaw fell to the floor before he quickly picked it up and scowled. "Again." Sandslash repeated the move.

"Bubble Beam!" Popplio released multiple small small bubbles that destroyed the Ice Ball into pieces.

"Wow! Lana's pokémon didn't go down in one move like the rest of us!" Mallow said, embarrassed by the fact.

Sun visibly got more madder. "You want a real battle? Fine, you stubborn girl. You got it!"

Lana's smile widened, which freaked Sun out more. "Oh boo. Now you have to battle. Well, get ready because you're losing, idiot!"

 **Battle Mode Lana vs. Elite Agent Sun!**

"Sandslash, it's time to get serious!" Sun told his pokémon. "Let's officially start this battle off with Metal Claw!" Sandslash's claw turned a steel gray and he lunged at Popplio.

"Dodge it!" Popplio swiftly jumped out of the way. "Go in for Bubble Beam again!" Popplio unleashed several bubbles from its mouth and aimed it at Sandslash.

"Keep using Metal Claw to get rid of those bubbles!" Using its speed, Sandslash hit each bubble rapidly. "Give yourself some space!" Sandslash backed up from the sea lion pokémon.

"What's the matter? Too scared of my Popplio now?" Lana taunted, getting on Sun's nerves.

"No way! Get closer Sandslash and try to find an opening!" Sandslash skidded closer, jogging around Popplio. "Crush Popplio with your spikes!" Popplio didn't have time to prepare for Sandslash's attack. The mouse pokémon rammed his spiky back into Popplio, sending it flying and landing on its back. "Ice Ball!" Sandslash hurdled the Ice Ball in a specific angle so that it landed on Popplio stomach.

"Take that! Don't insult us again!" Sun shouted. He clicked his tongue when Popplio was still conscious. "Figures. Sandslash, make it stay down with Earthquake!"

Lana saw this coming. "Get up and make another water balloon before Sandslash uses Earthquake. Popplio created another water balloon and slowly let go of it. "Now get in it!" Popplio hurled its body in the water balloon just as Earthquake rumbled form underneath it.

"Incredible!" Kiawe complimented Lana's quick thinking.

"She has a shot at actually winning this!" Mallow added in hopefully.

Popplio was floating in the air with its water balloon.

"Pop that balloon with Ice Ball!" Sun demanded his pokémon furiously.

"Use Aqua Jet to move in the water balloon faster. Go towards Sandslash!" Popplio nodded and used Aqua Jet to steer the water balloon's direction. It avoided all of the Ice Ball's headed its way. Popplio was now hovering precisely above Sandslash.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Sun roared. "You stupid pokémon! Can't you hit that weak Popplio!? Use Icicle Crash to pop the darn thing!" Sun berated his pokémon harshly. A cloud was formed above Popplio's water balloon.

"Get out of the bubble! Let it fall down on Sandslash!" Popplio used Aqua Jet to jump out of the water balloon. The water balloon dropped, popping and splashing water all over Sandslash. It momentarily dazed him. "Hit him with Aqua Jet!" Still in its Aqua Jet form, Popplio plummeted down towards Sandslash, striking him with its water enforced body.

"Now wait." Lana crossed her arms. Popplio lay its body to the side, a bit exhausted from the energy it had to use along with the damage it sustained. Sandslash fell to his side, but he wasn't knocked out yet. Unfortunately, his Icicle Crash move was now ready and Sandslash was located directly below it.

"Get out of there you dumb pokémon!" Sun screamed at his pokémon, beyond enraged. To his rotten luck, Sandslash didn't move a muscle, still trying to recover from Popplio Aqua Jet. The cloud above him started to rain multiple icicles. Each one hit Sandslash painfully.

"No!!!" Sun stretched the ends of his hair tightly as Sandslash had swirls in its eyes.

"Hmph. Only morons like you learn the hard way. Don't underestimate me because of my personality next time," Lana huffed. Popplio clapped its flippers joyfully.

 **Winner - Lana!**

"She actually did it!!!" Mallow cheered, seeing swirls in Sandslash's eyes after Icicle Crash was finished. She hugged Ash happily, causing him to blush lightly.

"Well I'll be," Kiawe chuckled. He wasn't able to beat Sun with his two pokémon since he returned to Alola. Lana was able to do it with one. He was willing to accept who was the stronger trainer. It only motivated him even more to get stronger.

The shadow on Lana's face disappeared. The battle was over. She actually beat one of Sun's pokémon! Relief washed over her face as she congratulated her Popplio on its victory.

"Sandslash!!!" Sun exclaimed angrily. "Everyone! Attack that Popplio at once!" Sun's remaining five pokémon did as they were told, resulting in Popplio laying down unconscious.

"Popplio!" Lana cried out.

"Hey! That wasn't fair and you know it!" Mallow snapped. "Okay Ash, go and let him have it!" She instructed him coldly.

Ash nodded. "Right! I'll give it all that I got!" He advanced forward while Lana walked back. "Sun."

Sun quirked an eyebrow. "Nope. Not happening. You aren't battling me."

"And why not?"

"Someone decided to drop by." Sun pointed upwards to the sky. They all looked up to see a white ball with colorful pink and blue dots on it.

"Is that the thing from yesterday?" Kiawe dared to ask. Everyone got away from it as it exploded. A dark glint flashed through Sun's eyes as he saw who it was.

"This is perfect. It came straight to me. It's UB-Burst!" Sun's excitement increased further when Poipole went up to Blacephalon. "I forgot about that pokémon of your, Ash. It's UB-Adhesive! It's going to make another excellent addition!"

Ash glared at the boy. "You're not having Poipole!"

"Whatever. I'll just have UB-Burst to myself. Oi! Ya big ugly beast!" Blacephalon faced Sun curiously. "Your dancing is horrible, your fireworks are hideous, those colors look atrocious, and I caught your little friend right here!" Sun waved his Beast Ball around.

Blacephalon went ballistic. It changed into its ball formed and zipped to Sun. It blew up right in front of his face, sending Sun flying.

"Sun!" Lillie cried out worriedly. Ignoring everyone's protests, she made a beeline to Sun and avoided the rampaging Ultra Beast. She crouched down and lifted his head.

"Ugh… tell Moon that she still owes me three hundred poké dollars… bleh." Sun's tongue was sticking out and his body went limp. Two X marks replaced his eyes.

"Sun!" She placed a hand over his chest and felt his heart beating steadily. "Oh thank goodness!" She held his head closely, relieved that he was all right. Well not necessarily all right but he was physically okay for the moment.

Ash's device went on again. Lusamine had contacted him once more.

"Ash, is everything okay on your end?" She asked, concerned.

Ash narrowly avoided one of Blacephalon's explosions. "The fireworks man came back! Sun made it angry by telling it that its dance moves and fireworks were awful!" Ash explained.

"That's understandable. Blacephalon is quite sensitive when it comes with its performances. Throwing an insult at it is a ridiculous thing to do unless you want it you attack you." Ash dodged another explosion. "It appears that it's too aggressive to turn it passive. You might have to battle it."

Ash turned to his friends to see them break the frozen pokémon out. "We may have no choice." The transmission ended and Ash grouped up with his friends. Lillie was still was Sun, holding him closely and telling his unconscious form that he was okay.

"I think the only way to reason with it is to battle it!" Ash said.

"How? Our pokémon aren't strong," Mallow muttered. "If our pokémon get taken out by Sun in one move then what chance do we have?"

"If we work together then we can do it!" Ash encouraged his friends. The pokémon that were knocked out by Sun haven't awakened yet, leaving the Ultra Guardians at a disadvantage. Ash and Kiawe still had their full team and Sophocles had Charjabug.

"Hey! Look!" Sophocles pointed to the Ultra Beast. Ice Beams were being shot at Blacephalon. Sun's Ninetales and Vanilluxe were helping out in the fight. Seeing their trainer hurt irked them. Although, Decidueye stood there with his eyes closed, not moving an inch.

A Shadow Ball was thrown at the beast along with a wind of ice blown towards it.

"Guys! We got to help out! Pikachu, Thunder Bolt! Rowlet, Leafage! Lycanroc, Stone Edge!" Ash commanded.

"Turtonator, use Flamethrower!" Kiawe added in.

"Help them with Discharge!" Sophocles told his Charjabug. The attacks hit Blacephalon. The Ultra Beast staggered to its feet, trying to fight it off.

"Torracat, use Flame Charge!"

"Marowak, Shadow Bone!" Torracat encased itself with flames and charged at the Ultra Beast. Marowak sprinted towards it, bone club in hand. Torracat rammed itself into Blacephalon and Marowak with its blue flamed bone club.

"We need one more push!" Blacephalon collapsed but was raising its arms, still not giving up.

"Lillie, we need your help!" Ash hollered to his friend.

"But Sun needs me!" Lillie protested.

"He's not in trouble so get away from him and help us!" Mallow barked. "It'll be all your fault if we fail the mission. What will your mother say when she hears it's your fault?!"

"Woah. Take it easy, Mallow." Kiawe knew her words were harsh.

Lillie stared at Sun for a few seconds before giving him one more hug. She stood up and hurried over to her friends where Snowy was awaiting her.

"Alright Snowy! Assist everyone and use Powder Snow!" Snowy blew a strong powder of snow form its mouth. The number of ice-type moves used against it proved too much for Blacephalon. It slowly turned into a block of ice, courtesy of Snowy, Ninetales, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe.

"Wow!" Mallow gasped. "We beat it. Someone throw the Beast Ball at it, quick!" Blacephalon could break out of it at any second. Its power were still a mystery.

"I got it!" Lillie messily tossed a Beast Ball at it. It missed horribly.

"I'll get it!" Ash took over and threw a Beast Ball at Blacephalon. It started to shake until and stopped, indicating that it was caught. Everyone cheered loudly at the successful attempt. Lillie ran up and collected the Beast Ball.

"Sweet! We caught it!" Ash said proudly. "Now we need the other one." The celebration was cut short when they realized what they had to do. The Ultra Guardians made their way to Sun.

"My head…" Sun groaned, sitting up. He tilted his head up to see the six Ultra Guardians coming over. "Shoot!" He tried to get up but toppled over. "Ouch." The pain from Blacephalon's explosion was still taking its toll.

"Who wants to do it?" Ash's question lingered in everyone's head. They all stared at Sun's helpless form. Mallow narrowed his eyes and inched closer.

"Ah! Please! You can't!" Sun begged. He attempted to get up again but failed to do so. "Mina!!! Now's a great time to help!" No response came from the area that Mina hid in. "Guys?" Sun shifted his gaze to his pokémon, who just watched him. They must've figured it out. That's why they weren't doing anything.

"Wait until Lusamine deals with you. You traitor!" Mallow hissed.

"Sorry Sun but you knew what you were doing,as" Ash said softly.

"You can't take me in! Please! I need to do this!" Sun pleaded, his voice changing oddly. "Lillie! You can't let them do this! We're supposed to look after each other! I thought we were best friends!" Sun tried to persuade the blonde haired girl. "You're telling me you're going to throw all of that out the window! I poured my secrets out you! Do you know how hard that was? Please don't make the same mistake that I did in the past." Sun hung his head low, tears dripping down his face and staining the ground. "Please…"

The Ultra Guardians were having mixed reactions. Sun's last resort plan was pretty pathetic now that he was crying. It made the atmosphere thicken. Lillie placed her hands over her heart, taking in Sun's words personally. She never seen him more vulnerable than the day of his dad's funeral. He made the mistake of breaking their close friendship and she may very well do the same if she chose the wrong decision.

"H-here! I'll even give you guys back the Beast Ball!" Sun pulled the Beast Ball out of his bag and displayed it for everyone to see. "Just please be merciful. I can't be turned in. I'm sorry…" Sun buried his face with his hands.

"Sun…" Lillie trudged forward.

"Lillie!" Mallow called out, not sure if this was a good idea.

Lillie twisted her head back and glared at Mallow. "If Sun says he's sorry then he's truly sorry. I believe him because he's my best friend!" Lillie continued her trek and was now towering over Sun's defeated position.

"Everything is going to be okay, Sun. I won't let my mother do anything bad to you. Just give me the Beast Ball and follow us." She consoled him with a trusting smile.

Sun looked up and nodded solemnly. "T-thanks, Lillie. I knew I could count on you." Sun placed the Beast Ball in her hands. "Can you help me up. I think I sprained something." He motioned his hand over to his leg.

"Anything for you, Sun." Lillie stretched her hand out which Sun accepted gratefully.

"You know, Lillie." Sun lowered his head down a little and wobbled on one leg. "You can be so… so stupid!"

"W-what?"

Sun snatched the Beast Ball back along with the other one that she picked up earlier. "Yoinks! Decidueye!" He raised his hands up in the air. Decidueye's eyes snapped wide open and he took to the sky. He flew towards Sun and gripped the collar of his shirt with his talons. Thanks to his training, Decidueye managed to carry Sun off to the air.

"Thanks for the Ultra Beasts Lillie, you dense idiot!" Those were Sun's final words as he departed from the area.

"We have to go get him!" Mallow dashed to her ride pokémon, Flygon.

"Mallow, wait!" Kiawe stopped her mid-dash. "He's already got a head start. Plus with those trees that he went through, there's no way we can find him," He concluded.

"But there has to be…" Mallow clenched her fists and glowered at Lillie. "This is all your fault. I tried to tell you it was a bad idea! He's evil! You shouldn't have trusted him!" She scolded the blonde haired girl harshly.

Lillie dropped to her knees, her back against her friends. She started to sob quietly, her heart broken by Sun's betrayal. He was so convincing! He even used the talk from yesterday to his advantage. Snowy tried to comfort her trainer but was ultimately pushed away.

He made everything up yesterday. He never was her friend. Mallow was right. He was a traitor and she was too weak to accept it.

"Let's just head back to base. There's nothing else we can do." Mallow didn't wait for a response. She boarded her Flygon with the other doing the same. Lillie stayed where she was.

"Why would Sun do that? I thought we were his friends," Ash sighed sadly. He should've should've listened to his friends after all.

"Will Lillie be alright?" Sophocles asked. Sun's sudden double cross was hard to register in his mind. He needed a few more days to sort it out.

"She has to come back at some point. She won't stay there forever," Kiawe replied. In a way, he shouldn't have been surprised. He may have been getting used to Sun but today ruined any chance of Kiawe accepting his presence.

Lana didn't utter a word. Her eyes were mainly on Sun's five pokémon that were left behind. They didn't seem the least bit disheartened that their trainer abandoned them. Sun's actions made her understand exactly what he said yesterday. Their friendship with Mallow was never going to be amended and it was equally all of their fault.

Sun was a dirty backstabber from the start. Mallow was a hot head with a burning jealousy. As for Lana, she was too weak and quiet to ever stop these things from happening.

The Ultra Guardians, minus Lillie, and their pokémon hovered in the sky and started to make their way back to base. Silence dawned over them for the duration of the flight.

Rotom was secretly checking its photo gallery. At the very start of the confrontation, its sensors detected something from Sun. It didn't alert anyone yet, wanting to confirm its suspicions first. To do this, it discreetly took photo of Sun. From the battles, to his departure.

It examined the first picture, immediately taking notice of something black zooming past Sun's eyeballs. The rest of the pictures showed the same feature, much to Rotom's horror. The last one was of him stealing from Lillie. What was present in the photo sent chills down its circuits.

There was a shadow standing behind Sun. The same shadow that was in the picture in Sun's house. The shadow that Rotom presumed to be a rare pokémon.

"Something up?" Ash inquired, noticing Rotom slowing down.

"No! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. "I just remembered, I need to go somewhere when we get back home." It quietly backed-up the pictures and stored them in a file labeled:

 **The Truth Behind Sun**

 ** _With Lillie..._**

ll

Lillie wiped away the last of her tears. She was fearing about what her mother was going to do when the others tell her that they failed their mission because of her.

Snowy momentarily gave up trying to cheer her trainer up and shifted her gaze to Ninetales. Sun's Ninetales was the pokémon Snowy bonded with at the Festival Plaza yesterday. She happily skipped to the fox pokémon and greeted her.

"S-snowy?" Lillie turned to see her pokémon playing with Sun's. That's when she saw that almost all of Sun's pokémon were there. "What are you guys doing here?" Her mind flashed to an image of Sun flying off with Decidueye. The rest of his pokémon couldn't fly, well Froslass could but Lillie wasn't sure if the snow land pokémon could fly the same height as Decidueye.

"Sun abandoned you all, huh?" The pokémon didn't acknowledged her.

Lillie reflected back to the talk with Sun that she had yesterday. One sentence outshined the rest for the situation at hand.

 _'If anything happens to me, will you take care of my pokémon?'_

Something did happen to Sun. He turned into a heartless villain. However, she couldn't leave these pokémon behind. That'd make her just as bad as Sun.

 _'And I'll be glad to take care of your pokémon.'_

Lillie was going to keep her word. Not because it was for Sun. She was doing this for herself. So she wouldn't have a bad conscience of leaving the pokémon on their own.

Lillie gathered the pokémon and smiled weakly. "Sun isn't coming back for you guys. Don't worry, I'll be your new caretaker." Sun's five pokémon kept ignoring Lillie and talked amongst themselves. "I know it'll take time to adjust but you all will be in good care with me." She stared at the sun with a frown.

"Sun, how could you do this? I trusted you…"

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

Mina was running. Ever since Sun caught UB-03 Lightning, she ditched the area the she was hiding in. That wasn't Sun, there was no way that was him. Point was, she wasn't going to stick around. Whoever that was was dangerous, and he had some sort of plan with the Ultra Beast.

"I got to tell Boss! Maybe he'll know what to do!" Mina rested against a tree and dialed in the boss' number. It started to ring.

"Agent Mina! What is your reason to call? Have you and Elite Agent Sun captured UB-Burst?"

Mina took a deep breath. "It's Sun, or at least I think it is. He's gone nuts! There's something up with him. It's like he's become made with power!"

"What do you mean?"

"He's caught UB-Burst and UB-03 Lightning! And it doesn't seem like he intends to give them up," Mina told him, needing his guidance. She didn't know what to do.

"What!?" The boss' loud voice rang through her ears. "That traitor! And he has all knowledge of our organization and the Ultra Beasts! Idiot!" Mina heard him slam his fist onto something.

"What should I do? I got out of the area before anything dastardly could occur!" Mina so desperately needed his advice.

"You want to know what you should do?" The boss' voice grew colder. "That boy knows too much. He could use that against us. There's only one thing we have to do."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Agent Mina, the whole organization is now a part of this mission, including you. You shall all complete one task."

 _'Don't say what I think you're going to say.'_ Mina pleaded in her head. If we was willing to destroy Ultra Beasts then that meant he'd also be willing to-

"Eliminate the rogue agent, Sun."

xxxxx

 ** _Long Second Author's Note: Lana's 'battle mode' was something I took from the manga. For those of you that don't read it and were confused, she basically becomes a ruthless battler during a pokémon battle and reverts back to her shy self afterwards. It's quite amusing since Kiawe's terrified of it. So everything I built with Sun's character went out the drain. Or did it? Sun's going to be out for a few chapters so the story will need to find another replacement for him in the meantime. Bye bye Sun! We'll miss you! Rotom will reveal its observations next chapter along with the next chapter being when the group goes to Hokulani Observatory. Some episodes are going to be either cut out or saved for another time due to Sun's involvement in the anime. My version of the international police are more twisted, the only thing on their mind is to protect people any way possible which includes death. Next chapter is the same deal, either tomorrow or Wednesday. Stay tuned!_**


	15. My Fair Sunny

_**Author's Note: This is a bit later than when I usually update but I really wanted to get it in today. I'm not really proud of this chapter, but I think I turned it around towards the end. The Rotom reveal wasn't as great as I envisioned. I hope this chapter isn't dull for all of you as I think it is. This is a chapter mainly focuses on Moon, judging by the title, plus the aftermath of last chapter. As you'll find out when reading, I couldn't think of an idea and went with reusing the whole guest teacher charade. Not much is known about Moon's character yet, but if you squint hard enough, you can possibly identify her issues. It's mostly seen in a flashback later in the chapter. That said, enjoy the chapter**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

It was Monday, signaling the start of the weekdays. Yesterday had sent everyone in a doozy. They can still remember Lusamine's furious expression when they had to tell her that Sun got away with the two Ultra Beasts. What was worse was that Lillie never showed up at all so the rest of the Ultra Guardians had to take all of the scolding. Lusamine sent out all of her scouts to Melemele Island to go and capture Sun.

And by all of her scouts, she really did send out everyone. There wasn't a single major location without a group of the Aether Foundation patrolling the area. She wasn't going to let Sun go that easily.

The outside of the Pokémon School was being guarded too. None were permitted inside as it would be a distraction to students.

At the top level of the school was Professor Kukui's classroom. Inside the classroom were five of his students: Ash, Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles. None were in a talking mood this morning.

One student was missing. Though, no one bothered to acknowledge it. The five sat in their seats, waiting for class to begin.

Professor Kukui walked in the classroom, immediately taking notice of his glum students. He figured this was how his students were going to be after the events of yesterday.

"Alola, everyone! How are you all this fine moment?" He knew it was an obvious question but he wanted to find out if they had anything to say. To his dismay, not students were staring at him, not uttering a response. "That's great. But wait, where's Lillie?" Still no answer from any of them.

"Look, students," Kukui started. "I know some of you must be taking in yesterday hard but that's the past. We got to move on from it and continue our day. So how about it?" He said with a smile. It dropped when his class still chose not to talk.

"I'm trying here guys. I really am. You all just have to accept the fact that what happened, happened. I don't know what else to tell you," Professor Kukui sighed, preparing his lesson for the day.

"Come on! Go!" A voice pleaded from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Lillie dragged a familiar Ninetales in the room. "Sorry I'm late professor! I had trouble bringing these pokémon with me." Lillie pulled on what seemed like a leash tied to Ninetales' barrel. More pokémon appeared by the doorway as she processed further. Each leash was tied to each pokémon.

"What the…?" Ash muttered, confused at what he was seeing. Snowy hopped over every pokémons head and landed next to her trainer. Snowy encouraged her friend, Ninetales, to keep moving. It worked. Ninetales huffed and trudged forward, not because of Lillie but because of her line evolution friend.

"Yes! I knew you'd come through." Ninetales ignored the blonde haired girl and trotted in the classroom on her own, her friends in tow.

"What are they doing here!? Those are that traitor's pokémon!" Mallow protested, not liking the idea of them being in the classroom. For all she knew, they could have some sort of spy device.

Lillie ignored Mallow and sat in her seat. The pokémon growled at her.

"W-what?" Lillie inquired. Ninetales pawed the legs of the desk and howled. Glaceon, Sandslash, Froslass and Vanilluxe approached the desk too, cross looks on their faces. "Is it something with my desk?" Glaceon pushed Lillie out of her chair forcefully. "H-hey!" Lillie was on the floor, watching the pokémon invade her desk. Ninetales made herself comfortable on the chair while Snowy lay on the desk. The rest of Sun's pokémon surrounded the desk, preventing Lillie from coming any closer.

"You could've just asked. There was no need to be pushy," Lillie squeaked. Ninetales snarled at her.

"Pfft," Mallow chuckled at her misfortune.

"Erm, Lillie?" Kiawe rubbed the back of his head. "Not to be rude but why are those five with you?"

"Shouldn't they be with Sun?" Ash added in, slightly peeved that Sun left his other pokémon all on their own.

"About that…" Lillie tried to find the correct words to say. "Sun abandoned them at the spot where we fought the Ultra Beast. I couldn't leave them on their own so I brought them with me," She explained to her peers.

"Why? For all we know, they could be spies for that traitor!" Mallow spat out her input. The last time no one listened to her warning, Sun stole two Ultra Beasts. She wasn't going to let that happen a second time.

"I guess it would be kind of cruel to leave them," Kiawe defended Lillie's actions. "They did help us out with Blacephalon."

"And they didn't help that stupid moron when he called for them," Lana scowled. The stormy cloud above her was pouring rain and even cackled a few cracks of lightning.

Sophocles remained silent, his face slumped on his desk. His depressed state was visible. Sun's betrayal was taking its toll on him emotionally.

"I think you all are missing the point." Professor Kukui stepped in, a poké ball in his hands. "Lillie, did you ever consider that these pokémon want to follow you?"

"What?" Lillie didn't understand what he was implying at.

"I believe it's clear that they aren't satisfied with the new adjustment?" He pressed on further, hoping that she'd at least get that.

"I-It's new. They need someone to take care of them. They'll like me eventually." Lillie sounded somewhat unsure of herself.

"Oh really? Let me test something out." Professor Kukui tossed a poké ball at Ninetales, who bopped it away with her nose. He then threw the poké ball at an unsuspecting Vanilluxe. It hit him but nothing happened. "As I thought. Sun didn't abandon any of them. If he did then the poké ball would've worked. Whether he's evil or not, Lillie, you just stole a trainer's pokémon," He concluded seriously.

"So that's why they hate Lillie," Ash said to himself. "Sun's Ninetales only came because of Snowy. Ninetales is like the temporary leader since Decidueye isn't there which is why they followed her."

"That actually makes tons of sense." Kiawe blinked. "How'd you figure that out, Ash?" Kiawe sweatdropped when Ash shrugged.

"Is that true?" Lillie turned to the pokémon. Yet again they were paying her to no mind.

"You can't keep them, Lillie. You know that," Professor Kukui informed her.

Lillie started to freak out. "N-no! I got to keep them… I-I…" All of a sudden, a loud feminine screech could be heard coming through the doorway.

"I know you're in there, Sunny~" A voice hollered in a sing song tone.

"Oh no," Professor Kukui croaked, protecting his stomach with his hands.

Moon pounced in the room, her eye irises red. She scanned the area like a robot tracking down something. Her eyes landed on Lillie, finally meeting the blonde haired girl.

 _'So this is blondie? She doesn't look special to me.'_ Moon thought bitterly. The pokémon surrounding the desk ran up to Moon. "Oh! I didn't see you all! What's up?" She petted each of the pokémon happily.

Lillie watched the scene with a hint of jealousy. She remembered who this girl was but she forgot her name. The only memory she had of her is when she knocked a lot of people out and battled Kiawe. To her shock, the newcomer was already getting along great with Sun's pokémon. It was as if she had a connection with them. Something Lillie was lacking.

"Greetings, Moon. Great to see you again," Professor Kukui greeted her, still trying to cover up his stomach as to avoid any more punches from the girl.

Moon eyed him strangely. "You're weird," She told him rudely. "But you can help me find my Sunny! His pokémon are here so that means he's hiding somewhere!" Moon began to search the whole classroom top to bottom.

Lillie turned to one of her classmates. "Who's this Sunny she keeps talking about? And what's her name?"

Kiawe answered her with a frown, "That's her pet name for Sun or something. That's Moon, I thought you'd remember that."

 _'Pet name? Where they…? No! They couldn't have been!'_ For some odd reason, Lillie was internally panicking again. _'Not again!'_

"Moon." Professor Kukui stopped her from zipping around. "Sun isn't here."

"Then where is my Sunny!?" She demanded, having been sick and tired of looking everywhere.

"He's gone," Ash interjected. He didn't know how Moon would take the news. Considering how close she clung onto Sun since her arrival, it probably wouldn't be good.

"Gone? Grr… that idiot left me behind again!" Moon seethed. "Wait until I find him…"

"To tell you the truth, Moon," Ash started hesitantly. "Sun sort of stole some rare pokémon and left without a trace."

"You mean the Ultra Beasts?" Moon said nonchalantly. Her comment caused the group of students to go wild.

"What!? And who told _you_ about Ultra Beasts!?" Mallow shouted. Just how were these people finding out a major secret?

"It says so in her diary." Moon smirked evilly at the cowering Lana. She had a leverage on her. All because of a book.

"Her diary!?" Kiawe was mad that Lana's privacy was invaded. "But… what else in there?" You couldn't blame a guy for being curious.

Mallow let out a disgusted noise. "Ugh! Kiawe, how inconsiderate are you?"

"Sorry." Guess you could blame a guy for being curious.

"Oh, you really want to know?" Moon kept her gaze at Lana the whole time. Her grin growing wider and wider. "Well, she just so happens to…" She trailed off on purpose, trying to get a reaction out of Lana.

"No!" Lana cried out, her entire face red. "I-I'll do anything!"

"Tell me where Sunny is!"

"I-I don't know where he is!"

"Then I guess I'll have to tell everyone that you-" Moon was cut off by an irritated Mallow.

"Sun's is not coming back. What part of that don't you get? He's gone and stabbed us in the back twice! He'll never show his face again," Mallow ranted on, her frustration almost reaching its limit.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I hate to break it to you, Moon, but he broke our trust and stole the rare pokémon. There's no telling what he's up to next."

Moon glared at the students. "So? What's him not being your friend anymore got to do with me? Honestly, I'm glad he did that. Now we can finally leave this stupid region and head back to Kanto."

Moon hated this place from the start. There was nothing interesting for her. The hot climate was a pain to deal with. The pokémon were jerks. There were no gyms to battle. Everyone was weird and stupid. Worst of all, there was too much water! The only reason why she managed to tough it out was because Sun was here. Now that he wasn't friends with those morons anymore, there was no reason for him to stay here. All she had to do was find Sun and drag him back to the ship that goes to Kanto.

Going by plane was a big no. She has a thing with planes that make her panic whenever it takes off to the sky. Her preferred method to travel was either walking or going by ship.

She missed Kanto. Her hometown is in Vermilion City, just like Sun. They never interacted because he was gone at the age of three. It didn't matter anyway, it wasn't like she had friends back then to begin with. Although, now that she met when she was older, she finally found someone who accepted her as herself. She knew she could be a pain at times, even so, Sun still stuck with her. It was practically the reason that she started to develop deeper feelings for her best friend.

The two traveled all across Kanto on their journey to compete in the Indigo League. Moon couldn't imagine a day without him. She never wanted to say goodbye. If she did, she'd be back at square one. No friends, no one there to look after her. Nothing but her pokémon as company. She hoped that clinging onto him so much will help him get the message that she didn't want to be alone. He either didn't acknowledge it or didn't notice it.

When Moon heard that Sun had gone on a trip to Alola, she almost had a panic attack. She feared that Sun had left for good and he didn't even tell her. Not wanting to be alone again, Moon immediately headed to Alola. She remembered Sun telling her that he grew up in Hau'oli City which was in Melemele Island. That was her first stop and she was extremely grateful that she spotted him there before she even stepped foot in Alola.

This all led to today. She and Sun could go back to Kanto and live their lives together again.

"And who's saying that he won't betray you too?" Mallow retorted. The green haired girl had enough of Moon's behavior. No one blackmails her friends, her home and gets away with it.

"Because we've been together for so long. How could he even think of such thoughts about little 'ol me?" Moon responded innocently.

"So have we and yet, here we are!" Mallow shot back. She was having quick answers for Moon's responses.

"What's your deal? Can't you just let me say what I want? Why are you such a buzzkill?" Moon's signature smirk came back. "Or is it because you're jealous again?"

Mallow's blood ran cold. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about." She laughed nervously.

"You know." Moon leaned against Ninetales' barrel. "A girl can learn a lot about people's lives from one diary." Moon fixated her gaze at Lana. "It's a bad idea to pour in everyone's secrets all in one book, including yours."

"Lana! How much did you write in that diary?" Mallow asked anxiously.

"Enough to ruin friendships," Moon teased mischievously. "But I'm not in the mood for that right now. I just need Sunny and I'll be out of your hair. How about it?" Moon insisted that one of them knew where Sun was.

"Like we said before, we don't know where he is. Sun just ran off," Ash replied waringly. If Moon had dirt on everyone, then she could potentially have some on him too.

"You!" Moon turned to the observing professor. "You must know where he is. You're a professor after all!"

Professor Kukui backed up a little. "We have no word on his location. There are people looking for him as we speak," He notified her of the Aether Foundation searching for Sun.

"Cripes. I wish I still had my phone. Maybe I could've called him but _someone_ had to make me drop it in the water." Moon returned to glowering at Lana.

"Wait! You have his number!?" Professor Kukui inquired, a bit too eagerly for Moon's taste. Nevertheless, she nodded. The professor came up with a plan. If they could call him and have Sun pick up, then they could track him down.

"Sun changed his phone number after he had gone to Kanto." Kiawe filled Ash in. The students and Moon listened in as Professor Kukui explained his plan.

"Yes! And then we can find Sunny!" Moon cheered, oblivious to the fact that Sun wasn't ever going to leave the island if he was tracked down and found. By now, he'd have to be put in juvie for his actions. Rarely anyone gets sent there, he might even be the only one there.

"Sophocles? You have anything that will be essential for this?" Professor Kukui asked his student. Sophocles sighed sadly and didn't respond. His head was still resting on his desk. "Or I could call Lusamine and have her bring someone that could assist us. Be back in a minute." He exited the classroom to make his call, leaving the students and Moon alone.

Moon got bored and started to draw on the chalkboard. Ash, Mallow, and Kiawe talked amongst themselves, discussing their ideas on where Sun could be when they find out. Lana and Sophocles minded their own business. Only Lillie was observing what Moon was doing.

Moon finished her drawing and stepped back to admire it. It was a drawing of the sun. Moon had hearts in her eyes as she clasped her hands together and let out a dreamy sigh.

"Hmm…" Lillie furrowed her eyebrows. Her theory about Sun and Moon could be true. She shook her head. As if she'd care! Moon could stick with Sun. He'd probably back stab her too.

"Tee-hee! Cut it out!" Ninetales stood up on her hind legs and put her front legs on Moon's shoulder. The fox pokémon was playfully licking Moon's face.

"Hmm…" Lillie's frown went down deeper. She had known all of Sun's pokémon since he got them. She watched them grow and evolve from the start. Now they didn't even want to look at her. Instead, they wanted to play with Moon. Why did they trust Moon more than her!?

Lillie took a deep breath and reminded herself that she didn't care. If Sun didn't care about her anymore then why should she? Sun used her kindness and friendship to steal the Beast Balls from her. She was convinced that he was a traitor from the start. There was no hesitation like last time. He downright broke her trust right in front of her. It was best if she moved on.

"When Sunny and I get married then we'll all be one big happy family." Sun's pokémon cheered at that.

"That's it!" Now she did care. Lillie got up from her seat and marched up to Moon. "What's your deal!?"

Moon glanced at Lillie for a second before turning away. "I don't follow." Sun's pokémon guarded her as she spoke.

"This!" Lillie gestured to the pokémon. "And all of that!" She pointed to the chalkboard.

"Oh that," Moon replied flatly. "In case you didn't know. My Sunny and I are going to be future husband and wife. I've already got the details done! We're going to have two kids that I already picked the name of. Don't Sol and Luna sound nice?" She asked her opinion of the name with bubbly hearts beside her head.

"No. It doesn't sound okay. Are you and Sun…" Just asking the questioned pained Lillie. She was secretly hoping her theory wasn't true.

"Dating? No," Moon answered, much to Lillie's relief. "But we will be soon. I can imagine it right now. We'll confess our love at the first place we met, by gym leader Brock's gym!" Moon was on cloud nine just thinking about it. She began to float in the air but Froslass was quick to pull her back down.

"Aren't you afraid that the new Sun will turn you down? He undid ties with Sophocles, his second oldest friend, and look at him now. He's a mess." The two eyed the glum Sophocles solemnly. "Sophocles was the oldest friend Sun had in Alola that stuck with him. If Sun turned his back against him and the rest of us, how are you so sure he wouldn't do the same to you?"

It was a strange question sure, but Lillie wanted to hear why she was so motivated to keep being around Sun even after knowing the he could do the same thing to her as he did to them.

"Isn't it obvious? I trust my Sunny." Moon leaned her head on the chalkboard and placed her hand on the drawing of a sun. "I care about him a lot and I know he cares a lot about me too. There's no way he'd even think about doing that. We've shared so much together. I was able to finally reveal my problems with someone and vice versa. Heh, the only reason I came to Alola was because of Sun." She chuckled dryly.

Moon continued, "The chances are slim. If you're somehow right and he does betray me in any way, my opinion of him doesn't change. I'll still keep caring about him. I mean after everything we've been through, why would I push him out of my life. But that's not my Sunny. My Sunny cares about everyone, whether he shows it or not. He's the nicest person I met. I was the biggest jerk and he still was nice to me. He taught me that sometimes you do need a friend at your corner. Sunny isn't himself right now. I know him so well to figure that out. So no, I'm not afraid if he cut ties with me. It'll just motivate me more to find out what's wrong with him and help fix him." Moon finished her passionate speech.

Lillie stood there, stunned by her words. Moon did really care about Sun. It seemed that he had a soft spot for him that greatly contrasts her usual rude behavior. She realized she shared some similarities with Moon. Sun was the first person she told about her traumatic problem outside of her family. He was by her side whenever she needed it. Then she returned the favor when Sun needed a shoulder to lean on during the time of his dad's death.

 _'His dad.'_ That's when Lillie remembered she still had the picture of Sun's dad with her from when he dropped it. She had been meaning to give it back but got sidetracked during their talk. If there was some that wasn't fake it'd have to be the emotional pain that Sun was suffering through ever since that day.

Lillie reflected back to what Moon said. The difference between them was that Moon was willing to accept Sun's new behavior. Unlike her, Lillie was quick to believe that he was a traitor to avoid. Sun was one of the nicest people she has met. Two days ago she held a firm belief that he wouldn't be mean to any one without a reason. This led her to consider Moon's next choice of words.

 _'Sunny isn't himself. I know him so well to figure that out.'_

Did Lillie not know him as well as she thought she did? Was Moon right and there was something up with Sun that was causing him to act differently. Lillie and Sun called themselves best friends. What kind of best friend was she to not possibly find any trace of trouble in Sun's emotions? Maybe she did make the mistake this time around. However, without any evidence, it left her indifferent about the ordeal. It was so out of character for him to be cruel yesterday. Though, Moon's word helped her think about the little details that she may have missed during their Ultra Beast confrontation.

Lillie headed back to her seat without another word. As she did, Professor Kukui came back in the classroom.

"Great news, everyone. Lusamine will send one of her top members to help us out. In the meantime, how about we start class!" He proposed. Hearing no objection, he took the chalk from Moon. "Excellent! Eh? What's this?" Professor Kukui examined the drawing of the sun. "No biggie. I'll just erase this…" He grabbed the eraser and tried to erase it. To his shock, it didn't work.

"Ehehe." Moon whistled innocently.

"How did you… nevermind." Professor Kukui didn't question it. He crossed out the drawing with the chalk. "Since we'll need you later on, why don't you stick around?"

"Hmm." Moon contemplated about the suggestion. "What if I teach the lesson?"

Mallow immediately voiced her concerns. "No way! We haven't learned anything for days! We don't need another guest teacher. Don't you remember what happened with Mr. Sun?"

"I got to agree with Mallow. Nothing has new been taught for days," Kiawe chimed in. Professor Kukui took in their input seriously.

"If you don't then I won't tell you Sun's phone number!" Moon threatened, puffing her cheeks out.

Professor Kukui blinked. "Let me introduce to you all our special teacher for the day!" He formally introduced her to the class.

"Aww!" Most of the class groaned in disapprovement. Moon squealed excitingly and began to draw another picture of the sun.

"I'll." The professor grabbed the chalk away from her. "Be giving you the lesson. You'll teach it to the class based on your knowledge of it. That way they can actually learn something. If you can't teach it then I'll take over." Professor Kukui mentally patted himself on the back. Moon didn't appear like the teaching type so maybe he could take over his class.

"Fair enough." Moon didn't seem to mind. The students also thought it was a fair bargain. Either way, they'll learn something.

"Our topic for today is… ghost-type pokémon!" Professor Kukui announced to the class. "I was planning on taking you all on a field trip to the Hokulani Observatory but with all this Sun business going around, no one can leave the island. So this is an alternative."

Sophocles perked up at the mention of the Hokulani Observatory but was deflated to hear about the unfortunate news. He banged his head on the desk and groaned, disappointed.

"Alright! I know all about ghost-type pokémon! Sunny and I had a Gastly as a pal back in Kanto! It followed us around and helped us too!" She pushed the professor aside and wrote something on the chalkboard.

"As you see right here. You shall all refer to me as Miss Moon! I'll do my best to teach you. Don't give me a reason to hate you and we'll be okay," Moon said to the class before drawing something else on the chalkboard.

"At least she doesn't give out punishments left and right," Lana mumbled bitterly. She recalled the humiliation of having to wear a cone as punishment.

"Ghost-type pokémon…" Moon showed them her drawing of a ghost as she talked. "...are one out of the eighteen types of pokémon in the world. It is the second rarest type of pokémon, ice-type pokémon beating them only by a few!" She informed them.

"If I may," Professor Kukui cut in. "It's quite rare to see a pokémon trainer with a team mostly comprised of ice-type pokémon. So it was very rare to see a notable ice-type trainer like Sun, handle these pokémon." He had to give credit where it's due. Sun was a powerful trainer. With five ice-type pokémon on his team, he was a wildcard to most trainers as they mostly battled other types like fire or grass. He represented these types of trainers during his Island Challenge and presumably in the Indigo League. Sun proved that ice-type pokémon weren't weak as everyone said they were because he was a runner-up in the tournament for Champion of Kanto.

"Exactly! My Sunny is such a strong trainer~" Moon cooed. She blushed when she noticed the many pairs of eyes on her. "A-as I was saying, although there are so few of them, ghost-type pokémon should not be taken lightly. They are the only type to be immune to two types of pokémon. Those being Normal and Fighting."

"Miss Moon!" Ash raised his hand. "What pokémon are Ghost-types weak too?"

"Good question, you!" Moon forgot his name but was glad that someone was participating in the lesson.

"My name is Ash Ketchum," Ash reintroduced himself to her.

"Right! Good question, Mash Ketchup!" Ash sweatdropped at his new name. "Ghost and Dark-type pokémon are super effective to them. The most common move for a ghost-type pokémon to learn is Will-O-Wisp!" Her eyes wandered around the class. "Does any one by any chance have a ghost type of the of the pokémon?"

"Marowak is both a ghost and fire type," Kiawe addressed. Marowak proudly walked to the front of the classroom.

"Wow! An Alolan Marowak! Cool!" Moon exclaimed, seeing an Alolan Marowak for the first time. She had to remain professional though. "Now that we have a ghost-type pokémon here for you all to observe, I'd like Marowak to use one of its ghostly moves."

Marowak already one step ahead of her. It started to spin its bone club around, gathering purple flames with a blue aura in the center.

"So cool!" Moon gushed over the pretty colors.

Mallow caught on to what she was doing. "Did you just tell Marowak to do that so you could see it?" She deadpanned.

"Umm…" Moon bowed her head down. "As your teacher I have to be honest with you. I have been misleading everyone. I, Moon, just really want to see a new Alolan pokémon that I haven't seen do its charm," She admitted cheekily. "Show me more!"

Marowak tilted its head, proud of the praise it was receiving. It was about to do some more tricks to impress Moon until Professor Kukui stopped it.

"That's alright, Marowak." He faced Moon, cross by her actions. "If you can't teach then…"

"N-no! I can!" In truth, Moon wanted to be as good of a teach as Sun. She overhead Lana's mother mentioning Sun taking over the class during one of her calls. Perhaps Sun would be impressed by her teaching skills. Moon had another plan up her sleeve. She pulled out one of her poké balls in released it.

"Slow…" Slowking yawned tiredly.

"Watch as a physic-type pokémon become afraid of a ghost-type!" Moon stepped out of the way.

Slowking glanced at Marowak. The bone club pokémon sensed a new challenge and got into battle stance. It swung its bone club with no remorse, trying to intimidate Slowking. Slowking yelped and zipped behind Moon, using her as cover.

"Uh… okay…?" Ash drawled out. He didn't get the point of the whole demonstration but it was pretty amusing to see Slowking get scared.

"Show him who's boss!" Kiawe roared, encouraging his Marowak to act fierce in front of the new potential challenger.

"Right…" Mallow rested her chin on her hand, bored out of her mind.

"Oh brother." Lana rolled her eyes. Her bad mood wasn't going to be contained any longer.

"Poor Slowking," Lillie noted Slowking's shaking body. He was truly afraid of Marowak. It was a bit cruel to use his jumpiness as a demonstration.

"Relax, Slowking." Moon petted the top of Slowking's shell. "I promise nothing bad will happen to ya." This only made Slowking shiver more frequently. Last time Moon said that, he was being chased across the entire Viridian Forest by a swarm of Beedrills. It was the most he ever ran.

"You can go back and watch, Moon. I think you had enough teaching for today," Professor Kukui instructed her. There was only so much he could take of people trying to be teachers. At least Sun was knowledgeable, but his attitude wasn't so well liked. Moon wasn't too knowledgeable and her attitude was worse than Sun's.

"No! Please! I got one more thing I want to share." Moon pleaded with her best puppy dog eyes.

"I'm going to regret this." Professor Kukui facepalmed. "Be my guest. If it fails then I'm taking over."

"Aye! Sir!" Moon saluted the professor. "This is a true story about a certain ghost-type pokémon. It was a Gastly and it was quite the troublemaker. Sunny and I encountered it on our trip through Lavender Town…"

 **Flashback**

"Sunny. I'm scared."

"Can you go on a bit further? I know Sandslash ran off here."

Sun and Moon were currently exploring the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. It was bad enough that it was foggy, but during nighttime too? That was a big mistake for the two trainers. Sun knew the risks but he had to go in to the spooky tower. Sandslash awoke them from their sleep and started to run. Sun and Moon followed him to Lavender Town. Sun swore he saw Sandslash go in the Pokémon Tower.

"S-sunny…" Moon hugged his arm, and whimpered softly. The creepy tower was already making her freak out. Though, with Sun with her, she was able to hang on much longer. "Sunny…" She repeated, hugging his arm tighter. Her heart was starting to beat a lot faster than it should be. And it's not because of how close she was to Sun. Moon was genuinely terrified of the place.

Sun stopped for a moment and brought Moon in for a hug. He knew that her past insecurities were flaring up. He embraced her to let her know that she wasn't alone anymore. He wouldn't admit It, but the tower downright gave him chills every five seconds. He had to act brave so Moon wouldn't get more hysterical if they were both panicking.

"Thanks, Sunny." She let go of him first and smiled weakly. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"No problem." Sun allowed her to wrap her hands around his arm for comfort. "We should get a move on. Sandslash is probably out there, scared and alone." Moon nodded and the two continued their search.

It wasn't even half a minute later before the sound of maniacal laughter could be heard from behind them.

"Ah!" Moon hugged his back, not wanting to see whatever was behind them.

"Hello?" Sun quietly called out. There was no response, making him assume that it was the wind or something stupid like that. "Nothing. It's okay, Moon." Moon trusted his word and they kept their eyes up ahead.

Moon squished her cheeks against Sun's arm, finding comfort in him. He was the only person she could trust and quite frankly, he was the only person she needed. It wasn't as if there was anyone else who cared about her.

"Sandslash!" Sun hollered, his voice echoing the hall. I got your favorite treat! Chocolate!" Sun dug through his pocket and fished out a half eaten chocolate bar. "Eh!?" Sun examined the teeth marks on the bar. It looked human but he never ate it. That only left…

"Oopsies." Moon smiled nervously, chocolate smudges were seen at the corners of her mouth.

"Only you, Moon," Sun chuckled, getting out a handkerchief and wiping her mess face. "Now we seriously have keep moving. Sandslash could be ahead of us for ages!" Sun exaggerated as he was finished cleaning her face.

"Or he could be right there." Moon pointed forward and sure enough, Sandslash was wiggling his nose. There was something in his mouth that Sun couldn't make out because of the dark.

"Sandslash! We found you!" Sun hurried towards his pokémon, not knowing that Moon wasn't behind him.

"Sunny! Wait!" Moon tried to follow but found her legs stuck to the ground. The panic was already welling up not that Sun wasn't beside her. She could easily hear the sounds of creaking, the wind blowing fiercely, and the windows making a tapping noise. How did she miss all of this earlier?

"S-sunny…" Tears started to form as she felt her world enclosing each second. The emotional pain of her past was coming back. It was all too much for her.

"SUNNY!!!" Moon screamed loudly, finally alerting Sun. He ran as fast as he could to Moon and instantly wrapped his arms around her mid-section.

"M-moon! Darn it. I shouldn't have left without you," Sun scolded himself as he patted her back. Moon let her tears fall free and buried her face on his shoulder. "This is all my fault. Relax, Moon. They aren't here to scare you anymore. They aren't here. Just your good pal Sun. Breath slowly. No one is hurting you on my watch," Sun whispered all of these comforting words beside her ear soothingly.

Sandslash offered her his half eaten chocolate bar that he knew she ate. He was careful to not poké any hole through it with his sharp claws.

"T-thanks," Moon sniffled, accepting the chocolate bar gratefully. She munched tiny bites into it as she did what Sun instructed her to do during one of her episodes.

 _'Breath in. Breath out.'_ She could hear Sun's voice in her head as she followed it.

"Ugh, Moon. Don't make me worry so much. I hate it when you get like this. Though… it was my fault." Sun blamed it on himself for being so inconsiderate. He knew he must not leave Moon when _it_ starts to flare up. He got over excited of seeing Sandslash that he completely cut forgot about the emotionally hurting Moon.

Moon leaned up and kissed the bottom of his chin. She smiled coyly. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Just hug me, idiot." She stored the rest of the chocolate bar in her bag and embraced him. Sun returned the gesture and the two stood there for a minute at the most. Moon's breathing regulated back to normal. She gently closed her eyes, savoring the moment.

"Hahaha!" The same laughing as earlier crept through the hall. Sun pushed Moon behind him, ready to face whoever was the culprit. Sandslash put his claws forward, daring whoever was out there to show themselves.

"They must have ran away," Sun muttered after a period of silence. "Figures. They should mess with the almighty Sandslash and his brave trainer, S-" Sun didn't get a chance to finish his insult as something from above the ceiling pounced on him. It was of a ball-like shape. It crash into Sun's body and never came out.

"Sunny?" Moon checked to make sure if he was alright.

"Hahaha!" Sun's eyes turned a dark purple as he laughed evilly. It was the same laugh as the voice they heard a minute ago. Sun stuck his tongue out at her and jumped all over the place.

"Stop it Sunny! You're being weird!" Moon failed to gain his attention. "Stop it!" Still no dice. "Grr… I said stop it!!!" Just as Sun was about to go her direction, Moon punched him hard in the gut.

Sun gasped, fall to his knees and clutching his stomach. When he gasped, something came soaring out of his mouth.

"So you're the one causing Sunny to act weird!" Moon glared daggers at Gastly. Gastly cackled and went to go posses Moon.

Moon literally hissed at the gas pokémon, causing it to stop mid-way. "Now you listen here, squirt! You've caused nothing but trouble since we got here. You made me hurt Sunny and now look at him!" Sun was laying on his back, holding his stomach painfully. "What have you got to say for yourself?!" She screeched.

Gastly stopped laughing and burst into tears. Moon didn't feel sorry for it one bit.

"Go apologize to Sunny, right now!" Moon demanded, her eyes red of anger. Gastly nodded and hovered above Sun. It muttered a quick apology to which Sun responded with a pained groan.

"There. Was that so hard?" Moon huffed. "Come on Sunny, let go back to camp. I want to sleep some more."

"Heeyah…" Sun tossed a pokémon to the ground weakly. Froslass came out with an irritated stare directed towards Sun. She didn't take being woken up so late kindly. "Help me back to camp." Froslass rolled her eyes and picked Sun up from the floor. She cradled Sun with her arms and started to carry him to the exit. Moon and Sandslash followed.

"Hmm?" Moon noticed in the corner of her eye that Gastly was following them. "I already made you apologize. What more do you want?"

"Gast…"

 **End of Flashback**

"Gastly just wanted a friend so it tagged along with us since. It has evolved to a Gengar at this point and lives in Sun's house back in Kanto. I'll tell ya, Meowth didn't like the new company one bit." Moon finished her story with a proud grin. She didn't get the applause that she was hoping for, which ticked her off.

"And that taught us…?" Ash thought the story was pretty entertaining but he didn't understand the lesson in that.

"I think it taught us that Moon has the power to scare ghost-type pokémon. Spooky!" Kiawe shuddered. Moon wasn't messing around when she had to become violent.

"You got it all wrong," Mallow chastised her two friends. "The message is that Sun should always get a punch to the gut." That was the only good part in Moon's story, in her opinion.

"Bingo," Lana agreed with Mallow's answer.

"I believe the moral of the story is that you should help every pokémon you encounter. Like what Moon did, taking Gastly under her wing," Lillie said thoughtfully.

"Of course you'd think that, little miss perfect," Mallow mumbled under her breath.

Moon exploded, "None of those are the lesson. You dumb students! How do you all even learn!? The lesson of the story is that ghost-type pokémon break out of their host if physical harm is inflicted. Gastly used to posses Sun's body nearly every other day until it evolved into a Haunter!" Moon stomped her feet and pouted childishly. Her lesson was so obvious! How could no one get it?

"That's quite enough of you, Moon" Professor Kukui planned to take his classroom back. "Now I'll be teaching my students real-"

"Everyone! Bzzt!" Rotom shouted, cutting Kukui off from his lesson. Moon giggled at his reaction. "I cracked it! I have the truth!"

"The truth?" Ash stood up and inspected Rotom, making sure it was malfunctioning or anything.

"I'm not lying! Bzzt! I have come bearing news about Sun." It announced, sending everyone in a frenzy.

"Did you find him!?" Was most of everyone's question.

"No." Everyone lost interest after that. "No! Please! I've worked so hard on this. Will one of you actually hear me out?" It whined, putting on its wig that it uses during its detective work.

"I will!" Moon said. "I love hearing about my Sunny~" She purred.

"We'll watch from here!" Ash told it, mainly because they were bored at the moment. Though, they'll never tell it that.

"Marvelous! Bzzt! I present to you all: The Truth About Sun," Rotom started, its first slide being the title and a picture of Sun.

"This ought to be good," Mallow mused, crossing her arms.

"What do we know about him? Let's start with the basics. Bzzt!" The next slide revealed bullet points. "He's a powerful trainer. He has some sort of bad connection with Nanu and gassed his office. He's been with Team Skull. He has some sort of list with names on it. He's gone out with Acerola at some point. He helped the former Team Skull leader escape jail. There's some notepad of his that he wants to keep secret."

Outcry broke out as most of them didn't know most of the facts that Rotom was showing. Professor Kukui silenced the class, allowing Rotom to continue.

"Thanks! Bzzt! This information has led me to believe that Sun is actually an… alien!!!" Rotom cried out. The slide changed into one of the stereotypical grey aliens with Sun's face plastered over the head.

The students gawked at its revelation. Not because they were impressed but because of how ridiculous it sounded.

"No offense Rotom, but that's one of the craziest things I've heard," Ash told the pokédex as nicely as he could. It was too far fetched to be true.

"Oh…" The wig dropped down from Rotom. "Not to fear. I've got a backup idea. Drum roll please!" No one did as he requested, causing Rotom to sweatdrop. "Uh… this information has led me to believe that Sun is actually a… spy!" Rotom revealed a slide of a man wearing a black tuxedo with Sun's face edited in.

"Rotom…" Mallow pinched the bridge of her nose. The other students weren't convinced of Rotom's accusation.

"Backup backup plan!" Rotom resorted to its final idea. "This information has led me to believe that Sun is actually a… ghost!" Rotom was smacked to the ground by an agitated Moon.

"Stop making fun of my Sunny! We've had enough of you!" Moon growled. "Plus, your editing is atrocious!" She criticized it even more.

"Don't be so mean, Moon. I'm sure Rotom was trying its best," Lillie defended the pokédex. Even if its ideas were out of the world crazy.

"But this last one isn't edited! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, picking itself from up the floor. "It's real! Look!" Rotom pulled up his ghost slide to show them the picture of Sun with a dark aura flying past his eyes. Then a picture of the shadow creeping behind Sun.

"Hmm…." Moon hummed, examining the picture. It looked sort of familiar.

"Do you believe me?" Rotom asked hopefully. Perhaps his hard work didn't go to waste.

"In a way." Moon observed the picture from different angles. "It looks a bit like the eyes from when Gastly used to posses Sun for its amusement. The color here is a bit darker," She noted, squinting her eyes to see if she could spot anything.

For the first time today, Sophocles lifted his head and spoke, "Are you saying that Sun might be-"

"Not to fear anyone! Help has arrived!" A new voice exclaimed from out the doorway.

"Faba!?" Everyone minus Moon cried out. She looked to see an adult male with blonde hair and with a blonde goatee. He wore white clothes that resembled a lab coat with green armbands. The last notable feature was his big green sunglasses.

"What are you doing here?" Lillie asked, slightly worried that he was here.

Faba rolled a cart to the classroom. "President Lusamine informed me that the professor requires assistance to locate a person's location just by their phone call. I just so happen to have the perfect invention for such case. May I introduce to you, the Phone Tracker Faba DX!"

In the cart, it appeared to be a radio-like invention but much wider and bigger. There was a keyboard a screen attached to it. Finally, there was an antenna on the very top.

"This puppy can track down anyone's location. I'll demonstrate. May I get your phone, professor?" Faba requested.

"Of course." The professor handed him his phone. Faba attached the phone to his invention.

"I'll be dialing in my own number," Faba said, pushing the buttons of his phone number. "And now I'll pick it up." Faba pulled out his ringing phone and answered. "Now look at the screen as I enter the necessary programs to track the location." Faba typed away on the keyboard for a few seconds. "And voila!" The screen had all of the information in a specific manner. It read:

Faba

 **Location**

 **Melemele Island**

 **Pokémon School**

 **In Professor Kukui's classroom**

"Wow!" The students and professor were stunned at how well it worked. Sophocles was finally paying attention. He clapped politely for Faba's working invention. He wondered if he could make something like that too.

"As I expected." Faba patted himself on the chest. "Now we can track down Sun's location and take him to j-"

"I'll finally find you, Sunny!" Moon interjected, pushing the Aether Foundation member out of the way. She grabbed Professor Kukui's phone and dialed in Sun's number.

Ash, Kiawe, Mallow, and Lillie stood up and got closer to the invention to see the results. Lana and Sophocles chose to remain in their seats.

"It's ringing!" Moon squealed, squishing the phone to her ear. Faba was right by the keyboard, ready to get to work when the call started.

"W-w-who i-is… it?" They could all hear Sun's voice become hoarse. He coughed in between his sentence.

"Sunny! It's me! Your bestest friend, Moon!" Moon chirped brightly. Lillie rolled her eyes at the mention of best friend.

"M-moon!" Sun gasped. His voice now more panicky. "Y-you've got to help m-me! I-I don't know how m-much longer I can…" The sound of a very loud roar ringed it everyone's ears. "Oh no! It's b-back! M-moon, get help! F-find Ash! Or L-lillie! Anyone! I'm at the-" Sun's voice was overshadowed by the loud roar again, followed by Sun's screaming. A audible thud tumbled to the ground.

Faba was furiously typing on his keyboard, trying harder to get the location. For some reason, this was more difficult than his previous test runs.

"Moon?" Sun's voice sounded more different, like the one the Ultra Guardians recognized during their Ultra Beast confrontation. "I'm fine. Really. In fact, ignore what I said. Don't go looking for me. You'll… no, everyone will see me again very soon." Sun's laughing was all they heard as the call was cut off. The long beep of Kukui's phone filled the classroom's silence.

Nobody said a word. No one could understand what just happened. Professor Kukui snapped out of his stupor first and turned to Faba.

"Well?" Professor Kukui was boiling with anticipation. The phone call riled up a lot of questions.

Faba paled considerably and backed up. "N-no! This can't be! How did he even get there!? How!?" The Aether Foundation member pointed at the screen, shaking his head frantically.

Lillie switched her gaze from the phone to the screen and gasped. It took all she had to not faint. She read it over and over again, not believing what she was seeing. It read:

Sun

 **Location**

 **Ultra Wormhole**

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Author's Note: To keep you guys aware, episode seventy nine and eighty of the anime will be on hold for the meantime. Episodes eighty one and eighty three are going to be entirely skipped as it serves no purpose other than comedy relief. So episode eighty two will be where the next chapter will kick off. It will be different than it is portrayed in the anime so just a heads up for that. The reaction of the group will be seen next chapter too along with what they plan on doing and Rotom's pictures will be a major part of their learning. I'm really having fun writing Sun's dilemma with the Ultra Beasts and can confirm he'll be seen again during the Ultra Guardians next mission and episode eighty seven of the anime. I can't wait to write those chapters and show off Sun's new evil attitude. Next chapter will be released Friday. Stay tuned!**_


	16. Operation: Find Sun

_**Author's Note: This chapter was a pain to type. I couldn't get the usual flow I get when I'm typing other chapter so it turned out a mess. I know it may seem like I'm whining now since I say this a lot, but I genuinely feel that this is my least favorite chapter. It may have to do with the giant loads of dialogue that I put and I kept repeating the same phrases and words over and over again. I promise that the next chapter will be sooo much better than this. That's the end of my rant, enjoy the chapter… or not. This chapter isn't my best work.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

"Ah! Sunny!" Moon grabbed the phone and punched in the numbers again. However, no one answered. This was either because he didn't pick up or something cut the line between them.

"H-how!?" Faba was having a full blown breakdown. Ultra Wormholes was what corrupted his mind. It changed him. Seeing that someone else somehow was able to gain access to Ultra Wormholes was baffling. Especially since the person the Aether Foundation is looking for is in that Ultra Wormhole. What he was doing in there was a whole new different question.

"No way!" Ash exclaimed. The last time someone was in an Ultra Wormhole was during Lusamine's sacrifice. She was corrupted by Nihilego and it took everything the Ultra Guardians had to defeat her. Now they were in a similar situation. But this time it was Sun, quite possibly the strongest trainer in Alola. If he was corrupted by an Ultra Beast… Ash didn't know whether they'd be able to defeat him.

"Sun…" Mallow clenched her fists. Her first thoughts were that Sun planned for this to happen. That probably was why he stole the two Ultra Beasts. He somehow got access into an Ultra Wormhole and was hiding out in there. He didn't sound fused with any Ultra Beasts. Even if he wasn't fused or corrupted, Sun still knew what he was doing when he took the Ultra Beasts for himself. But what was the deal with the beginning of the call?

Kiawe narrowed his eyes as he stared at the screen. There was no way that Sun was in an Ultra Wormhole. This had to be some kind of error. He had no business being in there. Unless he was purposely trying to get fused with an Ultra Beast. Why would Sun need to do that? Would he get stronger by fusing with them?

Lana was at the edge of her seat. The beginning of the phone call freaked her out. It sounded like Sun was really injured. He was begging for help before the terrifying loud roar of a mysterious creature made her jump. Lana covered her ears when Sun's ear piercing scream soon followed. Sure she didn't like Sun at the moment but hearing someone screaming in pain was enough to make her worry.

Then it all went away. Sun was talking as if nothing was wrong. His final words led her to believe he was coming sooner than they all think.

Sophocles had stood up after the call and called Rotom over. Learning that Sun was in an Ultra Wormhole made him speculate that his theory wasn't too hard to believe. All he needed to do to prove it was to examine Rotom's photos up close.

Lillie was speechless. To think that another person that she was close with was connected to the Ultra Wormholes. She'd never thought that it'd be Sun of all people. Her previous belief was that Sun was only collecting the Ultra Beasts to get stronger. But now he was possibly trying to fuse with them! And this time he was doing it on his own free will. Her mother was corrupted by Nihilego before, Sun had no excuse. Was this Sun's ulterior motives all along?

"Faba! Can you try and detect which Ultra Wormhole Sun is in?" Professor Kukui asked.

"H-he's just a kid! It took me years to create an Ultra Wormhole. How? How!?" Faba was having his own problems to sort with. "How!?" He walked out of the classroom, repeating the same question to himself over and over again.

"Professor." Ash spoke up. "Is Sun in danger?" He asked what was on everyone's mind.

Professor Kukui stared at the screen intently. "With a roar as loud as that… then yes. I do believe he's in some form of trouble," He answered honestly.

"It's his own fault!" Mallow said angrily. "He's crazy! Who in their right mind goes into an Ultra Wormhole and think it's safe in there?" It was his own fault that he was in there in the first place! Why should she feel sorry for Sun? If he fused with an Ultra Beast, which he'll most definitely do, then he wouldn't be in danger anymore. Problem solved.

"That's because he wasn't in charge of his mind!" Sophocles interjected, surprising everyone since he wasn't so somber anymore. Instead, he bore a serious expression. "He was forced in there unwillingly!"

The sudden claim made everyone gasp. How did he come up with such conclusion?

"Are you sure?" Mallow questioned, unconvinced. "With the way he's been acting, it wouldn't come as a shock if you were wrong."

Sophocles shook his head. He had evidence to back up his claim. "No! Look here again!" Sophocles held Rotom in his hands as it displayed the picture of _Ghost Sun_ again.

"You really buy Rotom's theory that Sun is a ghost?" Kiawe inquired, a bit worried that his friend might have believed that.

"Oh no, that's way too silly to be true," Sophocles dismissed, hurting Rotom's pride. "But it's right in a way. With all the information I gathered up, I believe he's being possessed!" He declared seriously.

"Possessed?" Ash repeated. It wasn't too convincing but at the same time, it was more logical than Rotom's claims.

Sophocles nodded. "Yes. Moon mentioned that Sun's eyes..." He pointed to Rotom's screen. "...resembled the same look from when Gastly possessed Sun in the past."

Ash's eyes widened. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly being put together.

Mallow pressed on, "And what if she was just making that up? We don't know if what she said was true."

"I'd never lie about something that could help us find Sunny," Moon protested. "If you keep interrupting Sophocles with your stupid questions then why don't you just go?! The rest of us want to know what he has to say," Moon huffed, motioning Sophocles to continue. Mallow gritted her teeth but chose to remain silent. For now.

"Thanks," He thanked her for standing up for him. "Anyway, I think whatever is possessing Sun has changed his behavior. That explains why he acted so mean yesterday. It just didn't make any sense since we were cool during the Fireworks Festival," Sophocles sighed sadly. It was their last good memory together before all the chaos took place.

"Do you think it could be an Ultra Beast?" Kiawe asked. It made sense to him after what happened with Lusamine. Nihilego took over her entire body and mind.

To everyone's shock, Sophocles shot down his theory. "No. It couldn't have been possible if it was an Ultra Beast. Rotom, show them the other picture."

"Got it! Bzzt!" Rotom switched the slide to the picture it snapped when it investigated Sun's house. It was the picture of him with his pokémon.

"As you see here," Sophocles started. "This is an old picture. And look, it's the shadow of whatever is possessing Sun!"

Lillie squinted her eye and upon further examination, there was a shadow behind Sun's shoulder. How did she not notice that before?

"Ultra Beasts only started to show up after we rescued Lillie's mom. This was before that which means that it has to be a pokémon," He concluded.

"What type of pokémon has the power to do that?" Ash didn't know of a pokémon that even has some kind of business to do with Ultra Beasts. Whichever pokémon it is wanted to get in an Ultra Wormhole.

Lillie flinched when Sophocles turned to her. "Lillie, you were with him after the festival, right?" She nodded cautiously, not knowing where he was going with this. "Did you notice anything peculiar about Sun?"

Lillie shifted her feet nervously. "Well… during the fireworks we saw Blacephalon, too. When we did, Sun got all excited. It was like whenever my mother gave him a present. He pulled out some kind of device that beeps when it was pointed at Blacephalon," She explained. In the end, she decided to tell the truth. If what Sophocles was saying was true then Sun needed her help.

Sophocles contemplated about it before coming up with an answer. "It must be an Ultra Beast tracker! That's how Sun knew where the Ultra Beasts were!" Sun couldn't have had the necessary technology to track down Ultra Aura like the Aether Foundation. That meant he got it elsewhere.

"Fascinating!" Professor Kukui was impressed on how his student was coming up with all the solutions to their questions. He must have been thinking about this when he was sulking in class. With Rotom, he was finally able to get the missing details that he needed.

Sophocles gestured Lillie to continue. "After that, Sun called his artist friend, Mina. He kept using some these codes to talk to her. They agreed to meet somewhere that's code named, M-H2O." Lillie then described the different codes he used. "There was P-L1 and UB-Burst."

Ash chimed in, "I remember him using UB-03 Lightning!"

Sophocles tried to crack what the codes meant. "For starters, H2O obviously means water. As for the M… oh! It could be the Marina!" He was proud of himself for figuring that out when no one objected his answer. In fact, they encouraged him to go on. "PL-1… hmm."

"If it helps, he said, 'PL-1 is near me,' " Lillie replied using her best Sun impression. This cracked a few smiles that helped lighten the mood.

"I don't know exactly what that stands for but I think he was referring to you, Lillie."

 _'That makes sense. He was so secretive about it, I guess he didn't want me to know what he was talking about.'_ Lillie thought in her head. _'It was for the best, I suppose. It could've been real dangerous if I knew and followed them.'_

Ash cut in, "I think I may have an idea as to what those last two mean." Everyone turned their attention to him. "The UB has to mean Ultra Beast. It's what he called them. With burst, Blacephalon liked to explode. It burst in its ball form to create the explosions!"

Kiawe caught on to what Ash was saying. "Ah. So UB-03 Lightning must be the other Ultra Beast that Sun caught. Sun said it was hanging around that tower that gives off electricity."

Everyone was participating in the conversation. Everyone but Mallow and Lana. Mallow's reasoning was that she wouldn't cause more trouble if she kept her mouth shut.

As for Lana, she watched her friends work down the mystery behind Sun. She wanted to pitch in too but couldn't help but feel awful about how she misinterpreted Sun as a bad guy. It wasn't even if fault to begin with. She fully believed Sophocles' belief that he was being possessed. At this point, she was willing to believe anything if it meant that Sun wasn't doing what he did on purpose.

"Wow! You guys are so smart!" Moon cheered. They were close to finding out what really happened to Sun. She couldn't have figured that ou1t on her own.

"I thought you said you knew all about Ultra Beasts," Ash pointed out.

Moon waved him off. "Nah. Lana hasn't written anything down of these Ultra Beasts that you guys are talking about in her diary."

"Why?" Lana groaned, hiding her face by rested it on her desk.

"Isn't it a little mean to read someone's personal diary?" Ash questioned.

Moon shrugged. "I guess so but I was bored. Besides, it has pages filled with stuff about my Sunny." She smirked, her mischievous side coming out.

"Lillie, do you know where Mina was at the time?" Sophocles halted Moon's plans of revealing what was in Lana's diary.

Lillie placed a finger on her chin. "I last saw her when we all went out to eat at the Friendship Café." She distinctly recalled that Mina was hiding behind a trash can.

"And you and Sun were close to the spot where everyone watched the fireworks, right?" Lillie nodded. "If my calculations are correct then that means that they would have crossed paths during their trip to the Marina. Maybe she knows if Sun was acting weird when they met up." Sophocles finished his briefing.

"From what Sun told me, she likes to hang around the Hau'oli marketplace. Maybe she's there," Lillie suggested. The two looked ready to go there right now until Professor Kukui brought back their attention.

"As much as your intentions are pure, I still have a class to run. You're going to have to wait until class is over," Professor Kukui asserted.

Moon laughed and stuck out her tongue. "Ha! Nerds! See ya later!" Moon ran out of the classroom before she came back awkwardly. "Where's the Hau'oli marketplace?" She asked cheekily.

Lillie stood there anxiously. She wanted to know more about the whole Sun situation. If Mina was a key to finding him then she couldn't afford to lose time. But school was getting in the way. It was to the point where Lillie thought about skipping school. Sun needed her. He was always there for her so she had to do the same.

Sophocles was having similar thoughts. He never fully accepted Sun's betrayal. Now that he knew Sun literally wasn't himself, he was ready to go find out the truth. Perhaps if he skipped school for a day. He'd have plenty of time to continue researching about which pokémon got to him.

"Professor! Couldn't you make an exception this one time? Sun's in danger. He needs us right now," Lillie pleaded. She just had to go and find Mina.

"Oh?" Professor Kukui quirked an eyebrow. "I thought Sun was a traitor?" He repeated Lillie's exact title for him.

Lillie's composure faltered considerably. "B-but that was before-"

"Before you found out that Sun wasn't the evil guy you thought he was? You can't just jump back and forth on your opinion on a person," Professor Kukui finished her sentence and sighed. "Look, I'm not trying to be mean but if you did really care about him you would've held at least a tiny bit of hope for him. Like Sophocles here. I'd probably let him go instead."

Lillie stared down at the floor. She was a terrible friend but how was she supposed to know that Sun was possessed by some pokémon? That excuse could be countered by the fact that Moon was able to detect it easily. This was exactly like last year, everyone including her gave up on Sun. Everyone but Sophocles. She didn't deserve Sun as a friend. She made the same decision twice now. Twice! If anything, Sophocles and Moon could be his new best friends. Feelings aside, Sun needed all the help he could get. Even if they might go their separate ways after this, she wanted to prove to Sun that she did something worthwhile.

"But if you really do want to redeem yourself… by that I mean all of you," Professor Kukui said. "I can give the rest of class time to whoever wants to go out searching for Mina. But first, I have an assignment for you all," He proposed with a warm smile.

"Thank you, thank you!" Lillie bowed her head. "I promise you won't regret it. We'll get more information on Sun and save him." That was a promise Lillie will never break. She was going to do whatever it took to rescue her best friend.

"That's great," Professor Kukui chuckled. "For the assignment…" The professor did a little dance, confusing the students.

"Professor, what are you doing?" Ash asked what was on everyone's mind.

He cleared his throat. "I thought I'd have you all participate in PokéDance!" Professor Kukui announced.

"PokéDance?"

"So like a dance performed with pokémon?" Moon jumped in. She thought it was the dumbest thing ever.

"Each of you choreograph a dance for your pokémon to dance. Simple, isn't it?" He ignored the disgusted gagging from Moon. Apparently, dancing wasn't her thing.

"Sounds fun!" Mallow replied enthusiastically. She was already thinking of a type of dance her Steenee can do. "Can we use any outside material?" She could bring out an apron or maybe some fruits to make Steenee stand out more.

"Of course!" Professor Kukui responded. "Anything goes as long as it helps you draw out your pokémon's natural style to its fullest."

"Natural style, huh?" Kiawe mused. "Alright, Marowak! Let's show them the spirit of Wela with a dance." He decided on what his dance's theme should be about. Marowak gleefully agreed to his idea.

"Let's think of an amazing dance to do, Pikachu!" Ash approved of the professor's new assignment. It'll help him take his mind off of Sun for a while. The whole ordeal was really bumming him out.

"We'll do our very best too, Steenee!" Mallow joined in on her friends excitement.

"The performance, counting today, will be in three days. Practice hard until then!" The professor smiled, happy to see his students moods lighten up. "Alright, now you may go."

Lillie practically jumped out of her seat and bolted out the door with Sophocles and Moon following. Snowy, Togedemaru, Slowking and Sun's pokémon chased after them.

"Anyone else want to go?" Professor Kukui asked. "It'll be alright you do. Those that don't can stay here and work on their dance."

"I'm staying," Mallow said immediately. "Will you stay with me, Ash? We can assist each other with our dances! Please." Mallow gave him her best smile.

"Uh…" Ash's face started to heat up. He originally planned on going with the others. But if Mallow wanted him to stay, that was a different story. "S-sure!" He grinned nervously.

"I'm staying too," Lana sighed. She had no choice. If Moon wasn't there then she totally would've gone. With Moon around, she could spill out her secrets any second. It'd be best if she wasn't there so Moon wouldn't be reminded of her.

"Hmm," Kiawe hummed. "I'll go with the others!" He shocked Mallow by making that choice. "Come on, Marowak! Let's hurry so we can catch them!"

With that, Kiawe and Marowak headed to the direction of the Hau'oli marketplace.

 _ **Later...**_

Lillie, Moon, Kiawe, and Sophocles arrived at the marketplace. They let Lillie lead them to Mina's location. Sure enough, a few minutes later they came across an area shaped into a circle. There were many paintings around the area along with a tree in the center.

"Mina!" Lillie called out her name. Mina poked out her head from the canvas to see who said her name.

"Lillie?" Mina didn't expect Lillie to be here. She set down her art materials and approached the two. Her Ribombee was hovering next to her. "What brings you here?" She was bombarded with tons of questions from the four. "Hey! One at a time. Let's start with you first. Sophocles, right?" She directed her attention to Sophocles first.

"We're trying to find our friend, Sun! Lillie told us you were the last one to see him two days ago. During the Fireworks Festival!" Sophocles replied. Mina's body stiffened. Her mind couldn't get over the fact that her new mission required to eliminate Sun.

Mina whistled innocently. "Yeah. What about it?" She didn't want to give off too much information.

"Did you notice anything weird?" Kiawe questioned her. "Like I don't know, Sun going kookoo for Ultra beasts?" She already knew about them so there wasn't any harm of mentioning Ultra Beasts to her.

"Ultra Beasts? I have no idea what you are talking about," Mina lied coolly.

"Please Mina…" Lillie begged. "Sun's in danger right now. We're trying to help him in any way we can. You're the only ones who can give us the answer that we need."

Mina frowned and stared up at the sun. She was having a hard time painting today because of one person that stuck in her mind like glue. Based on what Lillie said, Sun wasn't doing so hot. As his partner, Mina should assist in the plan on rescuing him too. However, her duty as an agent kept getting in the way.

She contemplated if it was really worth keeping the job. After Sun is… after he's gone, she'd have no partner to work with. The boss would assign her to some dweeb that'd probably try to flirt with her. With Sun, she didn't have to worry about that. He trained her to become the agent that she is today. The agents code was to save any person or pokémon in need and Sun fit in that category. He taught her she always had to do what she thought was right, even if other didn't agree on it.

Either way, if Sun does manage to come back, he'd be kicked out of the police force. Mina was going to quit her job. She respected the international police before, but after hearing that they'd want to do something as cruel as destroying pokémon or kids, she wanted nothing to do with them anymore. She had nothing to lose.

"Tell you what." Mina made up her mind. "I'll tell you everything I know but not here. There are scouts everywhere. Meet me at Vanilluxe's Icy Treats and we'll talk there." She began to pack up her supplies and paintings.

"Stop!" Moon cried out. She held a painting in her arms. "How much for this?" Moon was hugging a painting of Sun that Mina created. She had it out in hopes of it aiding her make a decision.

"That's not for sale. None of them are," Mina informed her, sticking out her hands so Moon could hand it back.

"But you said that you sell paintings to your boss," Lillie reminded her. That's what Sun and Mina insisted on a few days ago.

"As I told you, I'll tell you everything later. Give that back." Mina pursed her lips when Moon shook her head.

"I'll give you one hundred poké dollars for my Sunny!" Moon offered.

"That's not for sale."

"Two hundred!"

"Not for sale."

"Three hundred and fifty!"

"Fork it over, you brat!"

"One thousand poké dollars!" Moon pulled out several wads of poké dollars.

"On second thought." Mina snatched the money from Moon's hand. "Sold. I have plenty of paintings of him anyway. What a deal!" Mina smirked, counting the poké dollars in her disposal.

"Yay! Sunny!" Moon cheered. She turned the painting over and gave a big kiss on where Sun's mouth was. The lovestruck Moon sighed dreamily and a big heart floated above her and the painting.

Kiawe, Lillie, and Sophocles' jaw dropped to the ground. They were stunned to see Moon do such an intimate act with a painting of Sun. Lillie frowned, feeling a burning jealousy in the pit of her stomach.

"Right…" Mina recoiled. "You go have fun with that." She started to make her way to the designated location. "Weirdo," She muttered under her breath.

"Mwah~" Moon smooched the painting again, much to everyone's discomfort.

"Okay…" Kiawe drawled out, clearly not wanting to be there. "I think I'll go get a head start."

"Me too!" Lillie and Sophocles said in unison. The three quickly rushed to the ice cream shop, leaving Moon behind.

 _ **At Vanilluxe's Icy Treats...**_

"Where do I start?" Mina and the three students were sitting in a table. "I guess I might as well formally introduce myself." She pulled out a wallet from her pocket and opened it up. "I'm Agent Mina of the International Police. Please to meet your acquaintance." The inside of her wallet contained her badge and a picture of her with her personal info.

"Agent!?" Lillie was hushed by Mina with a glare.

"Why don't you go shout it out to the whole world?" Mina rolled her eyes. "But yes, I served as an agent for the force. Two years and I'm still going strong."

"Wait wait wait." Lillie stopped her. "Sun said that the two of you work together. So does that mean…"

"Bingo." Mina answered her question by taking out a picture from one of the pouches and showed it to everyone. It consisted of Mina and Sun wearing some sort of fancy uniform. Sun was standing in the background as Mina was shaking a man's hand. "Heh. That was during my initiation. That man right there is Looker, otherwise known as boss to us."

"Woah." Sophocles marveled the sight of Sun in a uniform. He was so much cooler now that he knew he was a spy!

"So this Looker is the boss of the organization?" Kiawe inquired.

"Nope," She chuckled. "It's an inside joke between the other agents. It sure does irk him a lot. That's why we keep doing it." She had an image of an annoyed Looker in her head.

"When did Sun join?" Lillie couldn't believe she didn't notice that Sun was a spy. It was another thing she let slip by from under her nose.

"From what I heard, when he was around seven," Mina replied nonchalantly.

"Seven!?" Kiawe, Lillie and Sophocles didn't know someone that young could work as an agent.

"Apparently he got some sort of recommendation. You'll have to ask him yourself if you're that curious. Even I don't know myself," Mina admitted. It was never brought up during their time together. "He's been in the force for four years. That scramp climbed up the ranks and became an Elite Agent."

"What do agents do?" Sophocles asked excitingly.

"Agents work undercover. We carry out our mission and always get the job done. As the agents code states." Mina pressed her badge against her chest. "An agent's duty is to protect any human or pokémon, no matter how difficult the task," She stated firmly. "Sun's current position means that he excels at this."

"Huh." Kiawe started to see Sun in a new light. It looked like he did really care about others. He misjudged him a lot.

"Let's get to the point," Sophocles piped in. "What do you know about Sun's deal with Ultra Beasts?"

Mina tapped her finger on the table. "I don't exactly know when it started but boss mentioned that he found out about them during his first month back in Kanto."

Lillie frowned. That was way before they knew about Ultra Beasts. Somehow, Sun managed to find out.

"He's been so adamant about trying to catch one. He says it'll help him with his personal mission. And no, I don't know what it is."

Sophocles didn't know about this. If he was after Ultra Beasts then there was the possibility that Mallow was right after all. Although it didn't match up. The pokémon that possessed him also had some sort of connection with the beasts. Whatever it was must've used his ambition to catch an Ultra Beast to boost its compatibility with Sun. How it created an Ultra Wormhole was still a mystery.

"His personal mission involves your mother," Mina informed the shocked Lillie. "We didn't want to go and chit chat with your mother the other day. We wanted to go snoop some info on whatever Sun was searching for."

Lillie placed a hand over her head. Her mind was getting hazy from all this new information. Why did Sun have so much interest in her mother? She'd never do anything evil.

"You asked me earlier if I noticed Sun acting weird." She leaned back against the seat and put her hands behind her back. "The answer is yes. When we met up close to the Marina after the fireworks show, he was all twitchy. He had this creepy smile on his face and dragged me to the ship. He kept on laughing and laughing on how he was going to catch UB-Burst and get stronger."

 _'Stronger? But he has a full strong team!'_ Lillie groaned and slammed her head on the table. She just didn't get it. Why was Sun making it so difficult for her to understand!?

Mina continued after checking to see if Lillie was alright. "Sun got unusually aggressive when we didn't find UB-Burst. We searched all night and finally got a signal in the morning. We used this to track it down." She showed them the device the she and Sun used.

"Can I keep that?" Sophocles requested. Mina handed him the device and he stored it in his pocket. He was going to further examine it at home.

Kiawe scratched his head. "Were you there when we fought the Ultra Beasts?" Mina didn't respond, spacing out while looking out the window.

"You three should be careful," Mina advised them. "If you're out looking for Sun then that also leaves you exposed. He has multiple targets on his back. Even if you rescue him, he's far from safe."

 _'Why do you keep getting in trouble Sun? Why?'_ Lillie smothered her face with her hands, frustrated. How did he manage to do all of this behind her back?

"Team Skull is one, right?" Sophocles remembered when Sun told him that Team Skull trashed his house and it was too dangerous to live there.

"Yup." Mina nodded. "Ever since his undercover work as a Team Skull grunt. Taking down the leader automatically makes you target number one." She unknowingly spilled one of Sun's secrets.

"Wait. Can you repeat that?" Kiawe straightened up and cleaned his ear. He wasn't sure if he heard that correctly. Lillie and Sophocles each made hand gestures to Mina to not repeat it.

She caught on. "I said he pretended to be a Type: Null." She chose words the sounded like her previous ones.

"Hmm…" Kiawe narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He let it slide this time.

Mina continued, "There's also the Aether Foundation, Team Rocket, Nanu, and now the entire International Police force," She croaked out that last part wistfully.

Lillie panicked. "What!? I thought Sun worked with you guys!" The Aether Foundation she knew about since they were tracking him down. Team Rocket was sort of a mystery to her but it might explain the picture she found with Sun's dad in it. As for Nanu? She didn't like him from the start.

"Unfortunately, our mission was to capture the Ultra Beast in the area and return it to bass. But since Sun's gone and ditched the mission, you can guess the rest..." She trailed off, not wanting to say more on the matter. "So you lot haven't given me an explanation of what's going on."

Lillie, Kiawe, and Sophocles sweatdropped. Mina must have been confused out of her mind from their questions. It was in the heat of the moment that they had forgotten to tell her Sun's dilemma.

The three students spent the next half hour explaining to Mina about what they know about the possessed Sun so far. From the mystery pokémon possessing him to the eerie phone call. Mina listened on intently.

"Interesting. A pokémon you say?" Mina recalled something similar to that at base. "I believe I may just have your culprit." A wide smile was plastered on her face as she watched the three rejoice.

"Yes!" Lillie hugged both Kiawe and Sophocles. She was beyond elated that they'll find out who was ruining Sun's sanity. Discussing with Mina turned out to be the right option.

"But." The three froze, knowing that there's going to be some sort of problem when people say but. "I have to head to base and go check the databases to confirm it. It's about a day's walk there and another day back. I won't be able to give you a name, a description of its appearance at best. Is this going to be a problem for you all?" Mina twiddled her fingers, a tense expression visible.

Lillie couldn't decide whether it was a good idea to wait so long. Two days… in two days a lot could happen. Their knowledge on Sun's location could be gone in a flash. But without any leads, nothing could be done.

"We understand." Lillie spoke for them. "Just please do the best you can. We're counting on you."

"Sure thing, kiddo." Mina got up from her seat. "Do me a favor and notify me of any discoveries you make. Research more about ghost-type pokémon and the properties of an Ultra Wormhole. I'm going to need to know if you want me to continue assisting you all." With her brains, Mina could learn much more of an individual topic easily. However, that required time. Time that she didn't have at the moment.

Lillie gave her a thumbs up. "No problem! We'll do our very best. Thank you so much for helping us again! We appreciate it greatly!"

"Anything for my partner's little girlfriend." She winked at Lillie before exiting the building.

Lillie's face turned a deep crimson red. She stared down at the floor, avoiding her friends gazes.

Kiawe shot up from his seat, remembering something crucial. "Where's Moon?"

 _ **At Lana's house...**_

It was nighttime. Moon was in the guest room if Lana's house. It would be best if she left but she had nowhere to go. Because of this, she stayed in Lana's house until further notice. That didn't stop her from decorating the room to accommodate to her liking.

"Sunny…" Moon hung up the painting on the wall. She admired the view before laying down on the bed. She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before letting out an irritated sigh.

"This is all my fault. I didn't tell them everything that I knew."

 _ **The next day...**_

It was the following day. Professor Kukui had given some time in class for the students to practice their dance. He walked around the classroom, observing everyone's dances. First up was Lana.

"Lana? Everything going alright?" To his disappointment, Lana was sitting on the floor, not doing anything. Popplio was circling around its trainer, worried. It also wanted to have fun dancing like the other pokémon.

"I'm fine," Lana huffed, slithering her finger across the floor.

The professor frowned. "You can't just sit around and do nothing. I'm expecting you to put on a good show, Lana." He reprimanded her. It wasn't like Lana to skip assignment.

"Okay?" Lana gave in. "Popplio, let's use your water balloons for our dance." She stood up and commanded her pokémon to sprout some water balloons.

"That's more like it." Professor Kukui went on to the next student, Ash Ketchum. The boy had all of his pokémon gathered around him.

Intrigued, Kukui approached him. "Ash, what kind of dance are you thinking of having them do?" It had to be big since he was using all of his pokémon.

Ash chuckled arrogantly, "Pikachu! Torracat! Lycanroc! Rowlet! Poipole!" He raised his fist to the air. "Let's show him our fully powered dance!"

Ash's pokémon cried out affirmatively. Torracat got in the middle of the classroom. Lycanroc soon followed and hopped on top of it. Next, Pikachu stood on Lycanroc's back on two legs. Rowlet rested its talons on Pikachu's head. Lastly, Poipole lay its stomach on Rowlet's head, forming a stack of pokémon.

"This is a chance for a photo! Bzzt!" Rotom took a picture of the pokémon ladder. Torracat was trying its best to not drop its friends as he was at the bottom.

Professor Kukui crossed his arms, not impressed. "Is this… a PokéDance?"

"Eh? It isn't?" Ash tugged on his hat a little. "But Mallow told me it was decent enough." Suddenly, Torracat's legs gave out and it collapsed. The others fell down as a result of this. It was painful to say the least.

"Failure. Bzzt." Rotom snapped a picture of their unfortunate fall. Ash slightly glared at Rotom. Professor Kukui couldn't help but smile at their exchange. He made his way to the front of the classroom.

"How about you, Mallow and Steenee?" Professor Kukui checked on them next. He noticed that the dance Steenee was doing seemed familiar.

"We've decided to dance, the Alola Hula!" Mallow revealed. Steenee was waving her arms like an ocean and did a bow.

"Alola Hula, is it? That a great idea!" He complimented. "I look forward to seeing it!"

"Thank you!" Mallow smiled at Steenee. "Let's do our best, Steenee!" Steenee waved her hands up, determined to impress everyone with her dance.

Professor Kukui's eyes landed on the final three students: Lillie, Sophocles, and Kiawe.They were sitting together, side by side. Kukui's smiled faded when he saw that they were all looking at Sophocles' computer. His first thoughts was that Sophocles was playing games again and they two were in on it too.

He carefully tip toed over there. "What sort of dance are you doing, Sophocles?" His voice made the three jump.

"Professor!" The three exclaimed together.

"I sincerely hope you all aren't playing any games." Professor Kukui shook his head when Sophocles discreetly closed one of the tabs. A professor sees all!

"N-no! Far from it, actually." Lillie stood up and smiled nervously. "We're doing research!"

"Yes! Research!" Kiawe chimed in.

Professor Kukui stared down each one of them. "For your dance, I presume?"

Lillie couldn't take the guilt and shook her head. "To tell you the truth, professor. We have been doing research, but not on the dance." She perked up and gestured her hands to Sophocles' computer. "But it's for a good cause!"

"Yeah!" Sophocles agreed. Although, he didn't want the professor confiscating his computer so he piggy backed Lillie's excuse.

"What they said!" Kiawe jumped in. The three put on their best innocent faces. Unfortunately for them, he didn't buy it.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I take a peek." Professor Kukui played along.

"We would mind," Sophocles blurted out. Professor Kukui gasped, flabbergasted by his student's rudeness.

"Sophocles…" Professor Kukui scolded his misbehaving student. Sophocles, Kiawe, and Lillie exchanged looks and nodded.

"Alright. But I think it'd be better if we share it to the entire class!" Sophocles said, mainly because he didn't want to get in trouble.

"Only if you guys get to work after." Laziness was one thing the professor didn't tolerate. The trio agreed and headed to the front of the classroom.

"What's going on?" Ash said to himself. He stopped his dance routine and looked on. Lana and Mallow did the same.

"Ahem." Sophocles cleared his throat. "Us three will like to inform you that we have news about Sun." Ash and Lana grew more cheery from his announcement. Mallow rolled her eyes.

The three went on to explain everything that Mina told them. The agent job, Sun's past connection with Ultra Beasts, and the mystery pokémon that Mina was going to expose.

Lana blinked. "Wow. So that time he told Harper and Sarah about him being a spy was true! I thought it was an excuse on why he was gone for almost a year." She replayed the memory in her head when Sun and Moon came to live in her house.

"I knew his own mind wanted to catch the Ultra Beasts." Mallow's claim could easily be argued with the fact that his possessed state was causing all of this. She had no leverage to back it up, making her point invalid. At least for now.

"A brand new pokémon, huh?" Ash grinned. Even if the chance of it being a new pokémon was high, there was also a chance that it wasn't. Either way, Ash couldn't wait to see what pokémon had so much power to fully take control of a person. Then he'd defeat it to teach it a lesson for messing with his friend.

"Mina should be back by tomorrow! Then we'll know what pokémon is possessing Sun!" Lillie added in with a determined smile. They'll be one step closer to saving Sun.

Lana's upbeat attitude wavered. "Sun will still be in danger. From what Mina told you, Sun has a target on his back. He already can't go back to his old home. How will we keep him truly safe?" Sun couldn't bunk with her forever. There was a risk that her house would be raided next.

"Sun can stay at the mansion," Lillie suggested, a bit too excited. "Our security is top notch! He'll be safe with Hobbes and I." She pictured a scene in her head of Sun joining the two during dinner. They were sure to have fun and mend their friendship. Lillie had a lot of work to discover the real Sun that she's been missing out.

"Um… no that's okay," Lana responded anxiously. She didn't want Sun to move out. Not so soon! She failed to mention of the other roomate to her.

"I got to agree with Lillie. I'm sure not a lot of people will expect Sun to be in a mansion of all places," Ash chimed in, siding with Lillie. Her reasoning made the most sense to him.

Professor Kukui gave them some reassurance too. "I contacted Lusamine yesterday. It took a while but I convinced her that you students were right about Sun's possession, thanks to Rotom." He acknowledged their pokédex pal.

"Don't mention it. Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, saluting the professor.

"When we did, she called off all her scouts. Lusamine is going to do her hardest, along with my wife and Wicke, to find the Ultra Wormhole that Sun is in." This brightened everyone's mood even more.

"There's no way we won't rescue Sun now," Lillie whispered to herself, placing her hands over her heart.

"With that said." Professor Kukui redirected his focus on Lillie, Kiawe, and Sophocles. "No more slacking off. I expect to see some practice on your dance routine."

"Yessir!" The three felt it wasn't the time to tell him they had zero progress on it.

 _ **The following day...**_

A day had passed and Mina never showed up. Lillie waited at the marketplace with Kiawe and Sophocles for hours before and after school. She didn't pop up once like she insisted she would. It was late in the evening and Kiawe yawned tiredly.

"I don't think she's coming, Lillie." Kiawe scanned the area one final time and found zero signs that Mina was there. "We should call it a night. I'm sure she'll be here tomorrow," Kiawe reassured her. He felt guilty about it since even he wasn't sure if that'll be the case.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired of waiting." Sophocles rubbed his sleepy eyes. "I don't want to call it quits either but it's getting too late."

Lillie stood there, not affected by sleep at all. "You guys can go ahead. I'm waiting a bit longer." She decided to go at it alone. They needed sleep and it wasn't fair for Lillie to keep them from it.

"Alright. Don't stay up too long. We got the PokéDance tomorrow," Kiawe reminded her. "Night Lillie. Night Sophocles."

"Goodnight Kiawe. See you tomorrow, Lillie." Kiawe and Sophocles departed from the Hau'oli marketplace.

Lillie waited for about an hour longer. Mina wouldn't have backed out of her word. She practically spilled out most of her secrets to her. It wouldn't make sense for her to bail. Unless, something happened to her.

 _'She could've gotten sidetracked. But she also could've gotten in trouble. Sun was her partner. They might have took her in for questioning.'_ The more she thought about it, the more it made her worry. Eventually, it had gotten really late and Lillie called it a night. She didn't want to make Hobbes wait for her all night.

"Mina, where are you?"

 _ **A few hours later...**_

There were a trio of unruly people and pokémon lurking in the alley. Once nightfall hit, they made their move.

They were known as members of Team Rocket. Jessie, James, and Meowth. They ditched the expensive accessories for this mission.

"That went well!" Meowth said, impressed by their ability to hide and trespass a school. They just finished placing necessary traps in the classroom.

James snickered, "We'll name this Operation: Team Rocket Dancers! Now all that's left is to wait for the main event!"

Jessie smirked. "I'll definitely get those pokémon for our team! Team Rocket will be stronger than ever!" Since their business was going smoothly, Team Rocket weren't having any issue money wise. What they needed was that Pikachu on their side whether he wanted to or not.

The three giggled, feeling giddy that their foolproof plan was one hundred percent going to work. There was no doubt about that.

"You think that Decidueye will be there?" Meowth asked his partners when they stopped laughing.

"Of course. Twerps like that boy always stick together to other twerps!" Jessie ridiculed the boy without him there. If he was pals with the other brats then there is no denying that he wouldn't be there.

"Come to think of it." James furrowed his eyebrows. "I haven't seen Sunny boy at all these last couple of days." They would've heard about him from a customer but so far, his name hasn't been thrown in there. It was like he disappeared and no one noticed it.

"He'll be there," Jessie responded, annoyed. "Him and those pokémon of his." During their selling, the trio dug up information on his pokémon by their customers. They knew each pokémon he had in disposal.

"I can see it now, fellas! We'll be boss' right hand lackeys! We'll get the respect that we deserve." Meowth declared.

The trio high-fived before heading back to Bewear's den to prepare for tomorrow.

 _ **Afterwards...**_

It was the day of the PokéDance. Professor Kukui gathered his students to the gym as it had more space to do their dance routine. Everyone was patiently waiting for him to arrive.

"PokéDance! PokéDance! Yay!" Harper and Sarah, ever the loud ones, chanted the name.over and over as they stood beside their big sister, Lana. "Dance! Dance! Dance!" They were glad to be able to get invited by Lana to be in her dance and watch the others too.

"Calm down," Lana lightly scolded them. "Or I'll send the both of you home." Ash turned to see what the fuss was about.

"Harper and Sarah are dancing too?" He asked, laughing at their behavior. The twins were so full of energy every day.

"That's a secret," Lana teased. She invited the twins to be in her dance since they were the ones to break her out of her solemn mood. If it wasn't for them, Lana wouldn't have gotten the dance done.

"It's a secret to big sis' friend, too! Secret! Secret!" Sarah yelled happily.

Harper was looking around the gym. "Where's Sun-san? I thought he'd be here to watch," She pouted. Lana's eyes softened at that.

"Ehehe." Lana laughed awkwardly. "You know how he is. He's busy with his top secret spy work!" She hadn't told them the truth of Sun's disappearance nor will she ever. It'd pained their little hearts to know that he was in danger.

"Phoo. He can't ask to marry you if he's not here," Sarah said, disappointed. Lana's body tensed. Her friends could've heard that part.

"W-we're not getting married!" Lana blushed when some of her friends glanced over at their direction.

"Who are you marrying, Lana? Ooh! Am I invited to the wedding?" Sophocles wanted to be there to eat the best cake out there, wedding cake!

"She's going to marry-" Lana covered both of their mouths with her hands.

"That's enough, you two!"

Professor Kukui arrived and walked towards his students. "Is everyone here?" Doing a quick roll call, he continued, "Alright, let's start the PokéDance presentation!" A round of cheers filled the gym. "First off, a demonstration from the master of Alola Hula!"

The lights dimmed. A spotlight shined over an Oricorio as it bowed. It began to sway its arms left and right, in a relaxed flow. A few seconds later, an elderly lady appeared behind Oricorio. She repeated her pokémon's dance.

"Huh? The lady from the market," Ash noted. He met her a few times but never got her name.

"I didn't know Miss Moani was this amazing!" Mallow marveled their dance moves. It was so well paced and was very entertaining to watch.

Once it was over, the students applauded her dance. The lights came back on and Moani smiled bashfully.

"We haven't danced in so long, but we can still do it!" She proved that even at an old age, she still didn't lose her groove.

Lillie turned out the professor's speech and spaced out. She went to the Hau'oli marketplace in the morning but Mina still wasn't there. The blonde haired girl was going to go check again after school. If the results remained the same then it was time for Lillie to start doing more research of who the pokémon was on her own.

"First up… it's Lillie!" Lillie snapped out of her thoughts when her name was called. She forced a smile and walked to the center with Snowy slowly.

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

Moon was headed to the Pokémon School today. Sun's pokémon stayed at Lana's house to rest. She never knew what Mina told the others because they abandoned her. It was a mean thing to do. Though, that was wasn't the biggest issue right now.

 _'Should I? No, I promised Sunny I wouldn't. But he really needs us.'_ Moon had an ongoing war going on her head. She knew more about Sun's condition then she let on. If he were to be more wonky in the head after they saved them, then it'd be all her fault.

"I don't trust them though." It was true. She didn't trust any of Sun's friends one bit. They'd turn on her in a heartbeat like they did to Sun. The secret that she held back was the mind boggling. There was a high probability that if she were to tell them, they'd work harder on locating Sun.

"I have to. Sunny's sanity is on the line." Making up her choice, Moon sprinted faster, not wasting any time.

The instant that she got there, Moon knew something was up. The first thing that came to mind was the two people and a Meowth standing on the roof of one of the buildings.

"What the?" Curious, Moon slowly crept forward so she wouldn't get spotted. When she got to the door, Moon carefully opened it and poked her head in.

"Woah." To her shock, everyone was trapped in cages, even the pokémon! "If I save them then they'll go easy on me when I confess." Moon said to herself. Either way, she was high tailing out out there of things got out of hand. She quietly released one of her pokémon.

"Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime was her pick. He was fantastic at distracting his opponents.

"Alright Mr. Mime," Moon whispered. "You see those two with the R on their shirts. The Meowth too. You'll have to do your thing while I sneak my way in there. Got it?" She briefed her plan to the physic-type pokémon.

"Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime saluted his trainer and slipped through the small opening.

"...now that you're caught, you're at our mercy." Jessie stuck her tongue arrogantly at Ash. Their plan worked perfectly. Now all they had to do is get the pokémon from the other cage and-

"Mr. Mime!" The barrier pokémon cried out, alerting the Team Rocket trio. He began to stuck his hands out forward and pat the air in front of, above, and below. It was his specialty, Mime in a Box!

"Neato." Meowth was in a trance-like state as he watched Mr. Mime out on a show.

"I can't take my eyes of it." James sat down and enjoyed the show that Mr. Mime was graciously providing for free.

"Must… not…" Jessie tried to restrain herself from looking but failed and stared at the barrier pokémon as if he was money.

"Suckers," Moon giggled, entering the gym and roamed freely. She waved at the students innocently.

"Help us," Ash mouthed with no sound. Moon nodded and skipped to the two cages.

"Heya," Moon greeted Steenee, who somehow didn't get trapped like the rest. "Got any ideas?"

"Stee." Moon took that as a no.

"Hmm… if I were a bad guy, where would I construct the weakest joint…" Moon examined the cage down and up. She spotted a orange piece at the very top of the cage. It was worth a shot.

"You see that up there." Moon pointed to the top of the catching device. "Try and break it. Here, I'll give ya a boost." She crouched down and put her hands underneath Steenee's feet. "Up you go." Moon used all her might and assisted Steenee to the top in a blink of an eye.

"Stee!" Steenee started to stomp on the orange part as hard as she could.

"Huh?" Meowth's ear twitched. He turned around to see Steenee try to break the cage. "How'd you find the weakness point?!" He ran to the cage and climbed it. "Your effort are pointless." He reached the top and Steenee continued stomping. "Hey! Stop that!" Meowth demanded.

Out of nowhere, a pink light glowed bright. It surrounded Steenee as she stomped on the orange part.

"She's trying to learn Stomp!" Moon pointed out. Her eyes sparkled as Steenee's physical features grew larger. This only meant one thing.

"It can't be…" Mallow watched as her Steenee evolved right before her eyes. "Steenee, you've evolved!"

Ash called out to Rotom, "Rotom, what is that?" The pokédex got to work and scanned Steenee's evolved form.

"Tsareena, the fruit pokémon and a grass-type. Its speciality is kicking attacks using its powerful legs. In victory, it shows off by trampling the defeated under its feet," Rotom informed everyone.

"A bit showy, ain't it?" Ash sweatdropped. He didn't have a lot of fun when pokémon rubbing it in his face. One prime example would have to be with Sun's pokémon.

Mallow hugged him tightly. "Who cares!? My Steenee just evolved!" She embraced her happiness by hugging the already flustered Ash.

"It… it evolved right in front of our eyes… again!" Meowth whined. Tsareena stomped her foot onto Meowth's back.

"Finish him off, Tsareena!" Mallow ordered. Tsareena stepped back and rushed forward, kicking Meowth hard in the back. This move sent Meowth flying into one of the nets for sports.

Tsareena easily cracked the orange part with her feet. She freed her friends from the two cages.

"Mr. Mime! Come to me!" Mr. Mime stopped his show and hurried over to Mallow. Jessie and James got out of their daze and looked around.

"Oh no," James gulped, seeing that everyone was free. They were outnumbered by a lot. "This isn't good."

Ash clenched his fist and glared at the duo. "Team Rocket! Now it's our turn!"

Before another word was exchanged, a Bewear hopped from the entrance that Team Rocket used. It grabbed the defeated Meowth, Jessie and James and bolted out the door. No one questioned what happened.

"Alright! You did awesome, Mr. Mime." Moon return him in his poké ball and joined the rest.

"Well then, let's begin Steenee's, or rather, Tsareena's PokéDance," Professor Kukui chuckled.

"Hold on. Before we do that, I got something I want to get off my chest," Moon squeaked, uncharacteristically shyly. "It's about Sun."

Kiawe shrugged. "We already know you kiss that portrait of Sun. You did it out in the open."

"Eh!?!?" Professor Kukui, Ash, Lana, and Mallow screeched. Moani scratched her face, confused.

"No, it's not that!" Moon knew she was doing it in right of them. She only did to make Lillie know who was the top girl. "I wasn't entirely truthful yesterday."

"Aha!" Mallow pointed an accusing finger at Moon. "So you did lie about that story!"

Moon glumly shook her head. "No. That is all true. I just didn't tell you what happened after that day." She slapped her own face, trying to shake off the nervous jitters. "Remember when I told you that Gastly liked to posses Sun?"

Lillie spoke, "Yes. It stopped possessing Sun after it evolved." She didn't know where this was going. Judging by how shaky Moon was, it had to be bad news.

"Er… well…" Moon tugged the color of her shirt. "Evolving wasn't the real reason it stopped. It continued possessing Sun half the time it spent as Haunter." She felt a lump in her throat grow as she kept talking. "And that may have started because I kind of told it to."

"What? That's awful!" Lillie cried out. Poor Sun suffered the wrath of Moon's pranks for who knows how long.

"I promise it was all a joke! I didn't mean for him to…" Moon reached her breaking point. She broke down into tears and fell to her knees.

"Moon! It's okay." Lillie patted her back in an effort to cheer her up. "You can tell us. We'll understand whatever you have to reveal. Right guys?"

"Right!" Everyone agreed in unison, though Mallow's was as quiet as a mouse.

"You promise you won't get mad?" Moon sniffled, wiping her tears.

"I promise," Lillie reassured her with a bright smile.

Moon sighed and poked her index fingers together. "O-okay. You know how terrifying it is to be possessed, right? Sun had to live with it for so long… gosh I'm so stupid."

"What are you trying to say?" Lillie asked. Being possessed did sound horrifying. She couldn't imagine what Sun went through. He must have hated ghost-types.

"He's not right in the head even when he returned to Alola. All those times he got possessed took a heavy toll. Each ripping away a part of his sanity." Moon couldn't look Lillie in the eye. "It traumatized him. He never said anything because he thought it'd ruin my fun. Ugh… he's such an idiot. He should've said something sooner!" Moon hid her eyes with her hands.

"If we don't find him soon, whatever is possessing him will take away the Sun we know. Regardless if we save him, he isn't coming back the same."

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Author's Note: Bad, right? I liked the end so there's that. I guess I shot down some of you guys' predictions. It isn't Necrozma that's controlling him nor is it any Ultra Beast. But they will play a part during the Necrozma arc from the anime that I'm close to reaching. Next chapter will be episode eighty four of the anime. She'll play her normal role along with revealing who's behind Sun's possessing. Expect a chapter by the end of the week. Stay tuned!**_


	17. Mind Over Mina

_**Author's Note: A feel good about this chapter. It's mainly focused on Mina. In case ya still haven't noticed, her character is different in my version. In the anime, she was basically like Anabel, so It thought I'd change that. Only a week left until the semester starts, which also means a week left of frequent updates. It'll be a chapter a week so enjoy these last frequent updates until then. That's pretty much it so enjoy the chapter.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

"Tr-traumatized?" Lillie whispered to herself. She was by no means unfamiliar with the topic. She lived with it for years. Not being able to touch pokémon was her quirk. Lillie wondered what Sun's was.

 _'Moon did this.'_ Unlike Lillie, Sun's traumatization was caused by his friend. Though, it was accidental. But that gave her no excuse to do what she did. Moon should've known that being possessed wasn't something to amuse oneself with. How could she even find it funny!?

Lillie wanted to be angry. She really did. He wasn't ever going to be the same again. Adding to the fact that he was scared and alone in an Ultra Wormhole, things weren't looking so good. Lillie didn't know how her mother managed to overcome her incident with Ultra Beasts. Maybe it was because she was older and more mature. Sun was younger and this was his second time.

 _'I promised Moon I wouldn't get angry at her.'_ No matter what, Lillie had to control her rising temper. She promised. The blonde haired girl looked up to Sun a lot. She wanted to be just like him. He never broke a promise so she shouldn't either.

"It's alright, Moon. You didn't mean it," Lillie said with a somber smile. Seeing Moon so emotional was new. The brash and arrogant girl was a sobbing mess. She truly felt awful about the ordeal.

Lana was thinking the opposite. Moon reading her diary was what changed her opinion of her. It may have been just a book but nearly her entire life was in there. It was a private thing that she wanted no one to read, not even her family. Now she was suppose to feel bad for Moon? Not happening.

 _'What kind of person thinks possession is funny?'_ It was the dumbest thing she heard. Moon played Sun like a puppet with it and she expected it to come off with no consequences? How dense was she?

Kiawe, Ash, and Sophocles were on Lillie's side. It was an honest mistake. It was dumb sure but Moon had no idea she was doing this.

Mallow flat out didn't care. Was it cruel? Sure. Was it cold? Absolutely. Was she lying to herself? Most definitely.

"What did you do to help Sun?" Lillie was curious to discover what method Moon used to help Sun overcome his trauma.

Moon sniffled, "W-well. He was really afraid of the dark. When he got possessed, Sun said his vision was pitch black. He couldn't see anything while he was being controlled. The dark reminded him of it. Even going to sleep spooked him out." A small smile curled up her face. "So I laid down with him until he fell asleep. I usually stay the whole night," She giggled softly and wiped away the remaining tears.

"Hmm…" Lillie hummed in annoyance. This was immediately halted and she sported a heavy blush. Everyone had agreed that Sun would stay with Lillie. With her around, she'd have to fill in the role. She'd have to sleep with Sun without anyone questioning her.

"So the race for saving Sun just got a lot more serious," Kiawe said, reminding everyone what was important. "Professor! Has Lusamine been able to find the Ultra Wormhole that Sun's in?" He asked urgently.

 _'Why does he care all of a sudden?'_ Mallow made a mental note of that.

"Unfortunately, no," Professor Kukui answered, much to Lillie's disappointment. "But that doesn't mean she isn't trying her hardest. Lusamine told me she stayed up all night to do her own research. Still no luck though."

Lillie smiled at that. Her mother was pulling out all the stops to track down Sun. Though, it made her worry about the strain that her mother was forcing herself into.

"That leaves us with Mina!" Kiawe clenched his fist above his neck. "She has to be at the Hau'oli marketplace by now. We waited for her yesterday but she was a no show," He notified everyone of the problem they faced yesterday.

"Can we all go right now?" Sophocles pleaded. "Creating our PokéDances took a lot of work! I think we deserve a break!" Sophocles did his best to convince the professor to let out class early.

"You didn't even finish yours," Professor Kukui responded incredulously.

Sophocles sweatdropped. "That doesn't mean I didn't work hard. I didn't have enough time to finish it. Programming is a lot of work, too!" He defended himself. Professor Kukui had to admit, he did make up a valid point.

"Can we?" Ash joined in on their quest to convince the professor. Kiawe and Lana followed his lead. Mallow was hesitate, not uttering a word.

"I do have to head back to my stall," Moani added in. Professor Kukui frowned, realizing he was outnumbered, seven to one, with Mallow being neutral.

"I suppose since you all worked so hard…" Professor Kukui paused. "We can go to the marketplace as a class," He announced, giving in to their request.

"Woohoo!" The students, minus Mallow and Moon, bolted out the door.

"Heh. They sure are something," Moon mused, finding their behavior odd.

"I'll say." Mallow playfully rolled her eyes and smiled. She'd never get tired of her friends.

Professor Kukui led the way for the remaining people. "You'll get used to it."

Moon scrunched up her face. "No I won't." She giggled afterwards. She was glad that they didn't hound her with malicious fury after she confessed. They acted rather calm about it, though Moon saw her least favorite person, Lana, glare at her.

"Onwards!" Moon shouted, feeling more confident that Mina had the answers everyone so desperately desired.

 _ **At the Hau'oli marketplace...**_

Ash, Kiawe, Lillie, Lana, and Sophocles were walking around the marketplace. It was relatively peaceful. Lillie was in front of the group, leading her friends to Mina's usual spot.

 _'I hope she's there. She has to be.'_ A small part of her believed that Mina would be absent again. That feeling was easily overpowered with her trust that Mina will be sitting on her stool, painting more portraits like she usually did. Mina was Sun's partner. She wouldn't let him down.

Lillie's eyes wandered all over the marketplace. They were quickly approaching Mina's spot. Her nervousness increased with each step that she took.

 _'Please… please be there.'_

Lillie closed her eyes, refusing to look up ahead. She didn't want to be utterly crushed if Mina wasn't there.

"She's here!" Kiawe exclaimed. Lillie opened her eyes, and true to Kiawe's word, Mina was at the place she told them to meet her. She appeared to be painting something, not letting anything around her be a distraction to her work. Mina's eyes were focused on the canvas, brushing the paint brush smoothly against it.

"Mina!" Lillie yelled from afar. Her joy couldn't be contained any longer. She ran as fast as she could to greet the painter. "Mina!"

Mina jumped slightly, not expecting to break out of her concentration. She lay the paintbrush down and peeked her head from around the canvas. She was met with Lillie's bright smile.

"Ah. Alola, Lillie. I was wondering what took you so long," Mina chuckled when Lillie stared at her in disbelief.

"M-me!?" She sputtered. "What about you?! You weren't here yesterday like you said you would! We were waiting since we got out of school!"

Mina had a mischievous expression on her face. "About that…"

 **Flashback**

Mina had to finished her journey to the International Police's base. Where it is? She'd never tell. Not even to a bunch of people reading about her life.

She approached the secret underground bunker. As always, there was a heavily fortified door protecting the entrance. Mina went through the necessary steps to open the door.

"Fingerprint sensor," She sighed, putting her index finger on the panel. "Retinal scanner." A red laser scanned Mina's right eye. "Saliva test." A small plastic cup was on the panel and Mina spitted in it. "And voice identification." She cleared her throat. "Agent Mina, reporting for duty!" The door finally opened up.

 _'Boss really needs to stop being paranoid. This place is really hard to spot anywho.'_ Mina went in and entered the elevator. She pushed the fifth floor button, otherwise known as the Scribe's Hall.

The Scribe's Hall was a floor dedicated to scribes who document any information beneficial to the force. It was filled with all sorts of documents from hundreds of years ago.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Mina stepped out and was greeted by one of the scribes.

"Hey, Minakins. Ya change your mind yet about that date?" The teen male scribe asked, wiggling his eyebrows charmingly.

"You change your mind about being a jerk? Buzz off." Mina pushed him to the side.

The scribe caught up to her. "Come on. Give a guy a chance."

Mina growled, "How about I give you a chance to get out of my face before I send you to the medical wing again?" She clenched her fists, ready to strike.

"It's that Sun, ain't it?" The scribe scowled. "He's been talking behind my back again. Stupid kid. No wonder he's the number one most wanted rogue agent right now." He perked up and smiled seductively. "That means you need a new partner. I should quit my role as a scribe and become an agent. Boss will pair me up with you when I convince him how perfect of a match we are."

"That's it." Mina punched him directly in the face. The force knocked him out instantly. "Now I have another reason to quit this job." She walked along the hall, coming to a stop at a door that read: **Authorized Members Only.**

What made an authorized member different than the rest of the International Police, was that boss selected a handful of people to have a keycard to gain entry anywhere. Thanks to be Sun's partner, she was able to get on of her own.

Mina slided in the keycard and the door opened on its own. She closed the door and was met with several rows of hologram computers that contained the top secret documents. The funny thing was that there were far more computers than there were authorized members.

The painter sat in her usual seat and logged in. She glanced over to the computer right of her. That was where Sun used to sit. It appeared to be in the process of getting taken down because of the toolbox there.

 _'Focus Mina. He isn't coming back to this place and neither are you.'_

Mina went to work straight away after that little pep talk. Her first task involved searching the Ultra Beast files. Even if Lillie told her it wasn't an Ultra Beast, Mina wanted to double check anyway.

Only eleven known Ultra Beasts were discovered. UB-01 Symbiont (Nihilego), UB-02 Absorption (Buzzwole), UB-03 Lightning (Xurkitree), UB-04 Blaster (Celesteela), UB Adhesive (Poipole), and UB Burst (Blacephalon) have all been seen multiple times. The remaining five have very little to no information on them. Most had descriptions about their appearance.

There were reports of other pokémon that may be considered Ultra Beasts in a way. A few months ago, there was sightings of a small cloud creature that was mainly purple. Everyone rarely hears about it anymore. Then there was the story of the Blinding One. Sun told it to her after reading about it in a book at a library. It screamed Ultra Beast but Sun declined her theory.

After double checking the Ultra Beast documents, Mina switched over to the reports of unusual sightings. She scrolled down to reports that dated back to two years ago. One particular date was the report that she was searching for. She read carefully, not wanting to miss any small detail.

 **5/8/16**

 **19:32**

 **Location: Melemele Island**

 **Man states that he witnessed a shadow-like pokémon in the Hau'oli marketplace. Elite Agent Sun luckily managed to keep him quiet. He got the civilian to describe in perfect detail about the pokémon that he saw. The appearance goes as followed.**

Mina took out her notepad and wrote down the features that this pokémon was said to have. After she was done, she continued to read.

 **We have since erased his memory. Chances are he would have went to the local professor or the new outlet. This new pokémon shall only be known amongst the International Police. It could be dangerous. That man was lucky to have gotten out of there unscathed.**

 **Update: No more sightings have been reported since.**

Mina got all the information she needed. She got out of the chair and made her way back to the elevator. On her way, she couldn't repress a smirk when she saw the scribe who hit on her being tended by a medic.

Entering the elevator, Mina's hand hovered beside the top floor button. In the end, she pushed the bottom floor. The bottom floor was also known to be where the boss' office was suppose to be. Mina was going to have a nice chat with him.

Upon arriving to the first floor, Mina was greeted by a friendly face.

"Hey! Mina, right?"

Mina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes, rookie." It was Anabel, the inexperienced agent. She was holding a stack of papers, no doubt doing errands for the boss. It was what she did when starting out too. Even Sun mentioned having to do work for the boss.

Anabel stared at her, downcasted. Though, Mina couldn't see it due to the large stack of paper covering her face.

"Sorry to hear about your partner Sun. He seemed nice in a way." Anabel remembered how he was about to rat her out to Looker. He found it in his heart not to so he wasn't all that bad.

When training to become an agent, the coaches gave a run down of the most well known agents in the force. Sun stood out the most given that he was a kid. He was spoken highly of whenever his name was thrown out there. It was mind blowing to hear that he turned rogue. The International Police lost one heck of an agent that day.

"Don't be. What happened, happened. Simple as that," Mina replied uncomfortably. She clearly didn't want to talk about the situation.

"Oh." Anabel expected her to be more sorrow about it. It seemed that Mina wasn't too worried. "I've been speaking with Looker earlier and he said that you're in need of a new partner." She spoke shyly.

She knew where the rookie was going with this. Boss was going to pair her up with the rookie. Mina didn't have a personal grudge over Anabel or anything but she didn't want a new partner. It wouldn't matter now anyway since she was quitting.

Mina shook her head, confusing Anabel. "Sorry rookie. No can do. Next time you see me I'll be a civilian. Maybe now I can finally focus on my paintings." She never really thought about it. Being an agent took up most of her free time. She can finally embrace her artistic nature.

"Huh? B-but." Anabel stumbled over her words. Their organization is losing two of its best agents. Sun taught Mina his techniques, making her just as good as Sun. Mina was more agile of the two, making her great for stealth missions.

Mina brushed past her and patted her head. "Want advice, rookie? Don't trust everything boss…" She paused. "...Looker tells you." He wasn't going to be her boss anymore after this.

"Eh?" Anabel tilted her head like a lost puppy. Looker was one of the most truthful people she knew. Hearing that from her didn't make any sense.

"Also." Mina pushed the stack of papers from Anabel's arms. "People above you will push you around. Be more assertive and stick up for yourself. Don't be a doormat everyone can take advantage of. I'm still employed so…" Anabel tumbled to the ground, trying to recollect the stacks of papers. "Good luck. You'll need it." With that, Mina left the struggling rookie on her own.

She approached the boss' office minutes later. Without hesitation, Mina barged in the office.

Looker looked up from his paperwork. "Agent Mina? What brings you here?" Mina threw her badge on his desk with no remorse. "Hmm…" Looker stared at the badge on his desk with no emotion.

"Hmph." Mina folded her arms. "I think you know what I'm implying here." Mina spoke seriously.

Looker frowned and held the badge. "Quitting, huh? Heh," He chuckled, throwing the badge into the trash can. "Figures. Was it because you never got that promotion?"

"No. I just don't like what this organization as become," She clarified for him. "I thought this organization did what was right. But you want to destroy pokémon and people. That's something I can't agree with. We can't work together again."

"This doesn't have to do with Sun, does it?" Looker narrowed his eyes at her.

Mina managed to maintain her composure. "No. My point stands."

Looker got up from his seat. "You know we can't just let you leave. Not with knowing all our private information."

"Ugh. Seriously? What, do I have to beg ya or something?"

"Nothing of a sort." Looker took out his walkie talkie. "We'll just have to erase your memory. Everything you know about this organization will cease to exist in your head. If you resist, then I'll just have to call for backup," He warned her, ready to turn on the device.

"I see." Mina nodded her head. "I guess I have no choice." Looker smirked, believing that he won. "But first, I got something to ask you."

"Spit it out."

Mina peered over his shoulder. "Is that a picture of you?" She pointed to the picture hanging on his wall. It was have Looker shaking hands with the real boss.

"Ah yes." Looker turned around to admire the picture. "Takes me back to ten years ago. I first…" Mina tuned him out and slowly crept towards him. In a flash, Mina wrapped her arms around his neck forcefully and pulled him closer to her. He was forced against his desk as Mina had a tight grip on him.

Looker tried to grab the walkie talkie that was inches away. With each second, he felt his vision get hazy. Ditching the plan, Looker rose his hands up and raked her face in an effort to escape.

"Nice try. Getting a few scratches is nothing compared to getting pepper sprayed." She saw his body go limp and let go. "Nighty night, Looker." Mina turned around to go head to the door but instead was met with a horror struck Anabel. She dropped the stack of papers yet again.

"Relax. He ain't dead. Just passed out." Mina grabbed Looker's walkie talkie. "If you even think about ratting me out, I'll just tell everyone it was you. He won't wake up until a few hours which will give me enough time to escape. Besides, do you think anyone would believe a rookie?"

"I-I… well… b-but…" Anabel stuttered before stopping. She knew Mina was right. She glanced over at Looker and back to Mina. "W-was he really going to erase your memories?" It sounded like something from a science fiction novel. There was no way an invention was made to wipe memories.

To her surprise, Mina nodded. "Of course. It wouldn't be the first time they used it," She replied calmly. "Just how long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," Anabel croaked. "Do we really hurt pokémon and people?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Anabel looked down at the floor, not wanting to believe it. "Listen rookie, you don't fully understand this organization yet. Once your position is higher, you'll learn stuff that you wish you didn't want to learn. Looker here wanted to destroy Ultra Beasts and eliminate Sun," She informed the fidgeting rookie.

"Why couldn't he just erase his memories like you? He can't hurt a kid!" Anabel fell on her knees. The dream job that she'd been hoping to get was nothing more than a sketchy organization. Hurting and potentially terminating kids for good was something she was completely against. To think she actually looked up to Looker as a hero. He was no better than a crook.

"Doesn't work like that. The more trouble you cost, the worse your fate is. The mind erasing machine only has a limited amount of shots," Mina explained. Being an authorized member meant that she knew a lot of secrets from the higher ups. Plus, she didn't do anything necessarily terrible which also meant that she wouldn't receive a harsh fate.

"No…" Anabel whimpered.

"Grow up, rookie!" Mina barked, having enough of her. "This is how life works and you need to suck it up. Honestly!" She threw her hands up angrily. "I'm leaving. Have fun with your _'must protect anyone at any_ _cost'_ boss." Mina bumped her shoulder as she exited the office. She didn't make it a minute before Anabel came rushing after her.

"W-wait! Let me join you!" Anabel pleaded. She made up her mind. She refused to stay here.

Mina scoffed, "No way. Get lost." Having her around would only slow her down. It was mandatory to leave quickly, otherwise the International Police would catch up to her.

"Please!"

"No!"

"Pretty please!"

"No! And no cherries on top either!"

Realizing she wasn't going to convince her this way, Anabel jogged forward and stopped in front of her. Mustering up her courage, she began to speak.

"You told me to be more assertive and to stick up for myself!" Anabel anxiously raised her fists. "I shouldn't let people like you push me around like a doormat. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not!" She declared confidently.

 _'Really? Well, at least I know she has a spine.'_ Mina thought in her head. _'And she's smart enough to ditch this prison. Eh, what the heck.'_

"Fine. You can come only if you promise not to slow me down." Mina instantly regretted it when Anabel cheered and gave her a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won't regret this!" The purple haired teen thanked her boisterously. She was ultimately smacked in the back of the head.

"Shut it. You'll draw more attention to us!" Mina hissed. Luckily for them, no one was nearby. "Let's just hurry to the elevator and get out of here. It won't be long until they find Looker."

"Hai!" Anabel exclaimed, running alongside Mina to the elevator. She felt a rush of adrenaline rush through her veins. She had never done anything so exhilarating before. Her first days as a part of the International Police was spent carrying paperwork. That all changed. Now she was running for her life as a wanted fugitive. Well, maybe not for her life but Looker would surely send someone out for her once he realizes that she was gone.

Several minutes later, Mina and Anabel made it out the door. Anabel panted, not used to running so much. Mina seemed fine for the most part. Her training was paying off.

The blonde haired teen climbed up a tree and looked around the area for places to hide. She spotted a cave in the distance. It was far away, meaning that they'd be traveling for a while.

"I hope you're ready for some more running," Mina said as she slid down the tree.

Anabel groaned, "But my feet are-"

"Didn't you promise to not slow me down?" Mina berated her, placing her hands on her hips.

"Fine!" Anabel sighed, exasperated. She muttered something under her breath as she started to walk to the direction that Mina pointed

"She's more whiny than Sun." Mina shook her head as she walked beside Anabel.

 **End of Flashback**

".. so we basically hid out there for the rest of the day. Then it took another day to get back here," Mina finished her story. By then, Sophocles, Lana, and Kiawe joined them and listened to her explanation.

"So where's Anabel now?" Lillie asked.

"Dunno. She left me hanging when we got here. Said something about needing a new change of clothing. The rookie hasn't come back since." Mina interpreted it as Anabel ditching her.

 _'Guess she didn't like that I made her walk for so long.'_ Mina shrugged. It wasn't that much of an issue. She didn't need Anabel nor did she need her.

"That's rude," Lillie said before grabbing her shoulders. "So, what did you find!?"

"Chill, blondie." Mina removed Lillie's hands from her shoulders. "I got it. But you see, I want to give you an image of what it is. That way you'll recognize it like that." She snapped her finger. "So I'm painting it based off the description I wrote down." Mina gestured her hands to the canvas that she was working on.

"Can I see?" Lillie tried to get a peek but was smacked in the forehead. She recoiled back and pouted.

"Don't you pout at me. Don't you know it's rude to look at an artist's work until it's finished? Insolent fool," Mina chastised Lillie's lack of class.

Sophocles chimed in, "I heard that too! Artists don't want their art criticized until it's finished."

 _'I thought everyone liked criticism so they can improve.'_ Lillie pondered in her head. The painting was a few feet away from her. It was hard to get a sneak peek with Mina there to smack her.

Kiawe was indifferent about it. It was a bit silly of Mina to try and hide her painting. On the other hand, it was understandable for artists to not like getting criticized. That'll ruin their motivation to keep on going.

 _'But these are amazing.'_ Kiawe switched his attention to the paintings surrounded Mina. They were jaw dropping. One particular painting caught his eye.

It consisted of a volcano in the process of spewing out some lava. The colors of it was what made it so captivating. The painting also had a cliff's ledge on the left. There was a person standing there with their Magmar, observing the volcano.

"This painting… this painting… this painting!" Kiawe had tears in his eyes. "It has the soul of Wela in it!!!" He screamed passionately,

Mina eyed him as if he grew another head. "Weirdo."

Lana crouched down and found one that caught her eye too. It was of an ocean with the sunset as its landscape. The uses of the color yellow and orange made the sunset appear more realistic. There was a big rock on the bottom left corner with a Primarina resting there. It was staring at the setting sun in a relaxed manner.

"So beautiful," Lana praised. Her Popplio barked in agreement. "The ocean… Primarina too!" Popplio was in awe. Its focus was on its fully evolved form.

Sophocles bent over slightly to get a closer view of the one he liked. "Isn't it beautiful?" Sophocles asked Togedemaru. He blinked in realization. "Isn't this…?" His eyes watered a little when he recognized the figures there as a group of colorful Metenos. "...A night sky full of Meteno!"

Mina's eyes widened, not expecting anyone to know what her painting was. "I'm impressed that you know that," Sophocles chuckled cheekily at the compliment.

Lillie noticed her friends enjoying Mina's artwork. Intrigued, she stopped coming up with a plan to steal a glance at Mina's current creation and zeroed in on one of her paintings.

"Snow!" She blurted out. "This must be a view of Mount Lanakila!" It was the place where she and the others participated in the Pokémon Sled Jump Games. A frown soon replaced her bright smile.

"What? Don't like it?" Mina inquired, disheartened.

"N-no! I love it! It's very pretty," Lillie insisted, not meaning to hurt Mina's feelings. "It's just that this is the place where Sun trained his ice-type pokémon. I always came with him whenever he did," She recalled wistfully, ending her good mood.

"Hey." Mina spoke directly to her. "We're going to find him. I didn't do all of this for nothing. I want him back just as much as you do." Lillie had a small smile on her face. That was exactly what she needed to hear. "Although, not as much as you." Mina slyly winked at Lillie.

"Ah!" Lillie blushed deeply and averted her gaze to the painting instead. Mina laughed, amused by her embarrassment.

"There you guys are!" Ash hurried over to the others.

"What took you so long, Ash?" Kiawe questioned, removing his focus on the painting.

Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe. About that. Poipole decided to party over at one of the stalls. It made a mess so I had to go clean it up," He admitted bashfully. Poipole flew in front of Ash, apologizing in its language. "I already forgave you, Poipole. You can stop apologizing now."

Mina turned to the newcomer and gasped, grabbing everyone's attention. "Woah! Is that UB Adhesive!?" She got closer to the Ultra Beast and inspected it.

"You mean my Poipole?" Ash scratched his face, wondering why she suddenly took so much interest in it.

"Poipole? Such an odd name. I like UB Adhesive better." Even though she wasn't required to talk in secret anymore, it sort of stuck to her.

Ash had an exclamation mark appear on top of his head and pulled his Poipole back. "You don't want to steal it, right?" He remembered how the possessed Sun wanted to steal it for his collection.

"What gives you that idea?" Mina's voice sounded offended.

"No reason." Ash whistled innocently. "Wow! Cool!" He ran over to a random painting in hopes of dispersing the many eyes off of him. "It's a picture of… Sun?" The picture there was of Sun and his Vanilluxe.

"Is he one of your friends?" Mina asked Lillie, not knowing the boy at all. Lillie nodded. "Ah. Then yes! It is a painting of Sun."

"But why?" Unbeknownst to Ash, his words came off as rude to Mina.

"Why not!?" She growled, flinging her paintbrush at him.

"Hey!" Another new voice shouted. It was Mallow. She came running towards them when she saw Mina hit Ash.

"Heya overalls." Mina waved her hand.

"My name is Mallow."

"Same thing, is it not?"

"No!" Mallow faced Kiawe. "This is your friend? She's so rude!" She complained.

"You just got off on the wrong foot," Kiawe replied. "Why don't you three introduce yourselves," Kiawe suggested to Ash, Mallow, and Lana. They didn't meet Mina the other day so that may have been why she was acting differently towards them.

"Okay," Ash hesitated. "My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm from Pallet Town. You can have this back." He handed her the paintbrush that she threw at him.

"Thanks," Mina grumbled, taking it from his hand.

"I'm Lana," Lana introduced herself meekly. "I really like your paintings. They're so pretty."

"Ooh! You flatter me." Mina sarcastically fanned her face. Lana sort of reminded her of Anabel in a way. Both looked shy and were complete suck ups

"And I'm Mallow." Mallow decided to give her a second chance. "My family runs Aina's Kitchen."

Mina froze. Her mind was trying to remember something. "Wait. You're Mallow?"

"That is correct." Mallow found it odd that she already knew her name judging by her question.

"Ah. So you're the one Sun keeps talking about." Mina shook her head, disappointed. "If you're on Sun's bad side then that's never a good thing. As a matter of fact, weren't you all on his bad side?" She pointed to Kiawe, Mallow, Lillie, and Lana. "Not you two though. Now I remember your name, Sophocles. You know, Sun talks about you quite often. All good things in case you're wondering," Mina told him.

Sophocles beamed brightly. "Really? What about?" He asked curiously.

"Sun says you're a great inventor. He picked up a few things from you," Mina said. Sophocles nodded, feeling his mood go up. "And you, Ash Ketchum, you're new aren't you? I don't think Sun's mention you before."

"Yep," Ash responded. It was understandable since he only just met Sun last week. Boy has the time flew by in such a short amount of time.

"So, Lillie." Mina narrowed her eyes at her and pursed her lips. "Why the change of heart? If I recall, Sun used to talk about you a lot until about a year ago."

Lillie squeaked and looked down. "Uh… well…" She trailed off, not feeling comfortable talking about it.

"Glare…" Mina pushed her face closer to Lillie's, staring her down intensely. Luckily for Lillie, two more faces came strolling by.

"Wowzers! Another painting of Sun that I can buy!" In a blink of an eye, Moon was now standing beside the painting, ogling it. Mina jumped, not expecting her to be so fast.

"No no no." Mina grabbed the painting and held it behind her back. "One is enough. No more for sale. You already have one practice smoocher."

Moon flushed red but shook it off. Her eyes turned red. "I want it now!" She pounced at the artist, not caring what she did to her.

"Hold it." Professor Kukui got hold of her before any real damage was inflicted. "No hurting our allies."

"Wah! Sunny!" Moon wailed tearfully.

Professor Kukui sighed and approached Mina. "Sorry about that. She can get a bit out of hand when it comes to Sun," He apologized for her actions since she wasn't going to do it herself.

"Gee. I wonder why." Mina rolled her eyes, figuring out exactly what her deal was with Sun. "And you must be Professor Kukui, the self proclaimed professor that Sun talks about."

"Well…" Professor Kukui straightened his lab coat and chuckled arrogantly. "I don't mean to brag but-"

"Don't," She advised him. The professor deflated from the comment.

Ash noticed the canvas near Mina. It wasn't with the other paintings, making him speculate that it was one of her current projects. Deviously, Ash tried to get a peek.

"Hey!" Mina instantaneously noticed this and smacked him on his forehead. "It's rude to look at an artists painting before it's finished."

"Ow!" Ash winced from the pain on his forehead. "Sorry. I don't know many artists." One in particular came to his mind. His old friend, Tracey, liked to draw. Though, he usually didn't have a problem with someone watching by him draw.

Moon laughed, "Really, Ash? Even I know that!"

"Is that suppose to make me feel better?" Ash grumbled. Poipole giggled and circled around the paintings. It mainly focused on one of them. It was of a night sky with a giant bright star.

"You like it?" Mina already knew the answer to that question. Ribombee flapped its wings and landed on top of Poipole's head. It flapped its wings faster.

"Ribombee, the bee fly pokémon. It's a big and fairy type. Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, scanning the new pokémon. "It rolls up pollen into puffs. It makes many different varieties, some used as food and others used in battle," Rotom informed everyone.

Rimbombee cried out something, which Mina understood. "Like… like… love! This one loves drawing."

"How can you tell?" Ash inquired quizzically.

"Ribombee told me," Mina said. Everyone gasped at the sudden revelation. Someone that could understand pokémon was a big deal.

"You can understand what your pokémon is saying?! Bzzt!" Rotom wanted to know so it could record it in its data.

"Eh…" Mina stretched out. "Sort of." She wasn't looking forward to explaining it after doing so a lot in the past.

She was saved by Professor Kukui. "Ribombee can Synchronize with the hearts of people and pokémon alike." Mina nodded at his explanation.

The professor continued, "It's said that Ribombee does this by using its ability to distinguish flower auras."

Mina put her hand out forward. Ribombee landed on her hand. "We spent so much time together that I kinda started to understand what it was sensing, too," She hummed, petting her hand gently on Ribombee.

"You're awesome, Mina!" Ash grinned. It wasn't everyday that someone could understand their pokémon. It was a very rare talent, one that the person in front of him had. Maybe it could understand why Rowlet acted so lazy.

"Yeah! That's so cool!" Lana applauded her talent.

"Well, I am the awesome Mina!" She joked lightheartedly.

"Why didn't I see it before?" Lillie asked. She didn't see Ribombee that one day that she met up with her when Sun was still around.

"About that," Mina started. "I didn't have it out because Sun didn't really like having Ribombee around. He said that it reminded him of something from his past that he didn't want to think about. It might have distracted him during one of our missions." Mina gave Ribombee a reassuring smile, indirectly telling it that it wasn't its fault.

"Cutiefly!" Lana gasped, not realizing she said that out loud. No one but Mallow understood that message.

 _'That Cutiefly that used to hang around our spot.'_ Mallow remembered the day after she met Lana that a Cutiefly hung around the spot that she frequently visited with Sun. They spent hours running around and trying to catch it.

Out of nowhere, Poipole cried out and spun around multiple times. Splashes of red and blue ink surrounded the area, coating everyone with ink.

"Poipole!" Ash put his arm over his face so he wouldn't get any in his eyes. Poipole rushed over to the stoney ground and started to draw something with the needle on its head. The Ultra Beast finished its drawing and moved on to draw another one exactly like the previous one.

"Oh…" Mina stared at the blue lightning bolt on the ground. She pulled out her notepad and did a quick sketch of the Poipole's drawing. "UB Adhesive," Mina called to it and flipped over her notepad. Poipole giggled and spinned happily. She laughed at its playfulness.

"What are they doing?" Sophocles asked to no one in particular.

"And she thinks I'm the crazy one," Moon huffed before directing her attention back to the Sun painting.

"Um… Mina?" Ash piped up.

"Oh!" Mina forgot that there were people around her. "UB Adhesive's drawing was just overflowing with emotion. Like like love!" She responded ecstatically. She never knew an Ultra Beast could be so good of an artist. Certainly much better than Sun…

 _'Sun… oh no. I wasted so much time already.'_ Mina temporarily forgot about her current painting and went back to it.

"It was a nice chat but I really do have to finish this painting. Come back before the sun sets. I'll have this done by then." Mina picked up her paintbrush and continued to work on her painting.

"We shouldn't distract Mina," Professor Kukui said. "In the meantime, why don't we explore the marketplace?" He offered.

"Sure!" Everyone agreed with the plan and prepared to head out. Well, almost everyone.

"Sunny~" Moon was laying on the soft grass, hugging the painting of Sun in her arms.

Kiawe panicked. "We should get out before she tries to-" It was already too late.

"Mwah." Moon kissed the painting affectionately.

"Eh!?!?" Professor Kukui, Ash, Rotom, and Mallow gagged. Lana stared at the scene, mildly miffed.

By then, Kiawe, Sophocles, and Lillie hustled on out of there, not wanting to experience seeing that a second time.

 _ **Later...**_

"There!" Mina stepped back and checked her painting. It was almost complete. All she needed to do was shade in the colors more and then they had their pokémon culprit.

"Ribombee!" A feminine voice shrieked. A pink haired woman in Team Skull clothing stood in front of her with a star eyed expression. "Is that cute pokémon yers?"

Mina felt Ribombee hide behind her hair. It was probably terrified of Team Skull. This was the group of people who gave Sun a hard time. No way she was going to let this opportunity pass.

"It's not _'yers'_ , it's my partner." She played along for now.

Two more Team Skull members appeared. "What's up, Rapp?" The taller one asked his comrade.

"Bro! I want this Ribombee!!!" Rapp begged. She got up Mina's face and gave her the stink eye. "My bro's super strong! Ya better hand over that Ribombee without a fight," The pink haired member demanded.

"Yeah! Yeah!" The smaller one of the trio cheered on his teammate.

Rapp clenched her fists. "You better not defy Team Skull! For your own good!"

 _'Really now?'_ Mina mused in her head. These guys were really an arrogant bunch. They ought to be knocked down a notch. Mina came up with a plan to get in the heads of the three Team Skull members.

"Let's battle." As expected, the three were stoked about that. "But when I say battle, I mean an art battle!" She announced, bringing in a wave of perplexed faces her way.

 _'They can be so gullible.'_ Mina passed each one a sketchbook. She came up with the rules of an art battle during this time.

"The subject for this art battle is your own pokémon partner." Mina had a competitive smirk on her face. She was going to fool these guys and shred their pride. "Well then… begin!" The blonde artist began her sketch of her Ribombee.

Rapp, Tupp, and Zipp released their partners and got straight to work. Rapp squealed excitingly as she drew her Zubat.

"You're so cute! This is so workin'!" Rapp gushed over her cute Zubat.

Zipp was sitting on the ground with Tupp. His pokémon partner was Garbodor. "That pose is just the best!" Zipp couldn't wait to show his teammates how great of an artist he was.

"My pokémon is as cool as ever!" Tupp bragged, fully knowing that he was the one who was going to have the better drawing. His Salandit was laying on the ground, posing.

About five minutes have passed and Mina stood up from her stool. "Alright, that's enough!" Mina shouted. An artist as awesome as her didn't need a lot of time to finish a drawing, especially if it's her pokémon partner. The three Team Skull members weren't artists, meaning their drawing wouldn't come out so hot. Mina was aware of that.

Tupp and Rapp were in disbelief. "It's over already!?"

Zipp pumped his fist to the air. "I've got faith in mine!"

 _'Sounds like he should be the first victim.'_ Mina pretended to appear interested.

"Then let's start with you." Zipp nodded and turned over his sketchbook, revealing his drawing.

 _'Oh Tapu, is that really his drawing?'_ Mina fought the urge to burst out laughing. It was amateur at best.

Rapp snickered, "That's Garbodor!?" The comment along caused a fit of giggles among her and Tupp.

"Hey!" Zipp scowled, offended.

Mina stepped in, "It's perfectly fine. Your love for Garbodor really shines through," She lied coolly. It was below average but it couldn't have been worse.

"R-really? Ha! Beat that!" Zipp punched the air above joyfully.

"Next…" Mina said, almost blowing her charade because of how disinterested she sounded.

Rapp shoved Zipp out of the middle and spoke. "Wanna see my Zubat?" Not waiting for a response, she flipped her sketchbook over. "Ta-daah!" Her drawing consisted of a goofy smiling Zubut with hearts surrounding it. Its wings looked really stiff.

Tupp and Zipp cackled manically to the point of tears. "This is supposed to be Zubat!?"

Tupp felt the tears roll down his eyes. "I ain't sure if that's even a real pokémon!" He clutched his stomach, laughing so much that he couldn't breath.

Rapp blushed, clearly humiliated and hid her drawing. "Why!? It's cute, ain't it!?" Her companions didn't agree with her version of cute.

Mina faked a smile. "I can really tell how you drew the best you could for your precious Zubat."

Rapp smiled, regaining her confidence. "For real?" Tupp pushed her away, disgusted by her and Zipp's behavior.

"Man, y'all are such kids!" Tupp shook his head, not proud of their artworks. "Think ya can win with drawings like those!?" He stared at Mina, challenging her. "Let's show 'em to each other at the count of three!"

"Okay! Okay!" Mina agreed, ready to end his art career in the matter of three seconds.

"Hai! One… two… three!!!" They both presented their artworks. It was clear who's was more inferior. "What!?" Tupp was in utter shock. Her drawing looked so life-like! How did she do that in five minutes!? "S-she's good…"

Rapp and Zipp were focusing in on Tupp's drawing. "B-bro?"

"I-Is that…? Rapp couldn't find the words to say. His drawing was... well... it was something.

"SAAAA!!!!!" Salandit screeched. It sat down, back against its trainer.

"Hmm." Mina checked over his drawing. He didn't out any effort in it at all, unlike his two partners. "Perhaps you should look at your Salandit a bit more carefully."

Tupp exploded, "Don't mock me!!!" He bellowed. His eye was twitching in anger.

Mina collected the sketchbooks back. "Ugh. I was going to call it a draw since you all drew some very nice pokémon." That was a lie. She would've shouted to the entire world that she was a winner and Team Skull lost again.

"That's it!" Tupp fumed. "Salandit, Toxic!" A spew of purple goop was send out of Salandit's mouth and aimed at Mina.

Suddenly, another attack collided with Salandit's toxic. It was blocked by none other than Poipole! It saw Mina in trouble and rushed in to save her.

"Well done, Poipole!" Ash was also there to defend Mina. "Three-on-one? That's low!"

Now, it wasn't like Mina didn't care that someone just saved her. She could've done it herself. Being a former agent came with its perks after all. As Ash and Tupp argued, Mina went back to her painting to finish up the details.

"Ribombee, Pollen Puff!" Mina commanded while she was painting. She knew the attack worked when she heard some pokémon explode. In a matter of one minute, the battle was over.

"We'll remember this! Team Skull is changing and you'll be the second most wanted on our list. Right before that brat, Sun!" Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp ran off.

The others arrived to the scene. "Ash certainly won't remember this," Kiawe chuckled. "But I wonder what he meant about Team Skull changing."

"Don't sweat it," Mina said, still painting. "Unless Jenercocio magically returns, they won't be doing any harm. Tapu knows how average Guzma is doing leading them. Jenercocio was certainly the better leader," She rambled on.

"Eh? What's going on?" Moon awoke from her slumber, clutching the painting as if it was the Squirtle plush she owned.

"Shoot. I forgot you were there." Mina completely forgot that Moon was resting against the tree the entire time.

"Rude!"

Ash, Kiawe, Lillie, Lana, Mallow, Sophocles, Professor Kukui, and Moon were forced to go the other side. They were dangerously close to catching a glimpse of her painting.

"Hang on. Give me five more minutes. I got to finish the shading," Mina requested, eyes focused on the canvas.

"We can wait five more minutes." Lillie sat down on the ground with the other following her lead. Her friends and professor were having a discussion on what it could possibly be. Lillie didn't join them. She was too anxious to finally see what was causing Sun so much pain emotionally.

"Just this last speck and… done!" Mina put her paintbrush down and wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. The chatter halted. Anticipation was rising through everyone's body, including Mallow's. "Ready for the big unveiling?"

"Yes!" Everyone shouted in perfect unison.

"Alright. Here I go… three…"

Sophocles nervously bit his fingernails. The truth was finally going to be revealed. The secret pokémon wasn't going to be a secret anymore.

Kiawe patted his fists on his knees, estatic to see the new rare pokémon. This is the first step in the many challenges they'll have to face in order to save Sun.

Professor Kukui grinned. As a professor, it was his duty to research any new pokémon. Mina's paintings were amazing so he didn't doubt that she'd fail to follow her description carefully.

"...two…"

Lana hugged herself as she counted down. The one behind Sun's possession was going to be seen by everyone present. They'll be able to see what could potentially destroy Sun's sanity. She had to admit, she wouldn't mind teaching this pokémon a lesson.

Moon hugged the painting of Sun as she watched the big secret about to come out. It was her fault Sun even developed this trauma. She was going to do everything she can to fix him again, even if that meant getting revenge on this pokémon.

Mallow felt goosebumps go up her spine. This was a big deal even if she didn't like it. Whatever pokémon had the power to possess someone and had a need of Ultra Beasts was surely one that needed to be contained.

"...one…"

Ash could feel Mallow's shoulder against his, cutting off any excitement he had for the new pokémon. He wanted to desperately pay attention but found it hard with Mallow doing this.

Lillie closed her eyes, too nervous. But she opened them again just as quick. She needed to be brave for Sun. No more hiding behind the sideline. Ever since she got Snowy, her world had been flipped upside down. Lillie was no longer that girl who was scared of pokémon and needed someone to watch her. She was going to be that girl who overcomed her childhood trauma, saved her mother and now her best friend.

"Voila!" Mina flipped the canvas over, finally showing them who the pokémon responsible was.

It was a gray bipedal pokémon. The area around its head resembled that of a helmet. On top of its head was three horn-like wavy features. It had a bulb on each arm. Around its neck was a cloudy-like collar. The outside of its eye was orange while its pupils were yellow. Above its two eyes were yellow spots. Finally, it had two trails of shadows coming out from behind its legs.

"Wow…" Everyone was impressed by how detailed its features were. The dark color of it surely matched the picture of the shadow looming behind Sun.

"So Mina." Professor Kukui was the first to talk. "Since it was your own research and the first real visual of this pokémon, it'll feel right if you name it." The others agreed with the professor. It was her hard work after all.

"Hmm…" Mina observed her painting once more before answering.

"I like the name, Marshadow."

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

It was late at night. The forest was filled with nothing but dead silence. It was like something scared all of the pokémon off.

That's because something did.

A person sat on a branch, closest to the top of the tree. A Decidueye was perched beside the figure. A dark aura was radiating off the individual. A sudden loud beeping rang around the area. It came from a device of sorts.

The figure pointed the device to the direction where it was beeping. A sinister grin was plastered on their face.

"It's time to make our move."

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Author's Note: It was Marshadow the whole time! I thought it'd be a good way to bring it in the story as Sun's possessor. Sun will be making his return next chapter as well. Next chapter will follow episode eighty five of the anime. Possessed Sun will interfere in the Ultra Guardians plan once more. How will it fair this time around? Next chapter will be either Tuesday or Wednesday. Stay tuned!**_


	18. A Stakataka Situation

_**Author's Note: This took a little longer than I wanted it to but that was because I decided to be a bit lazy. Anyway, this chapter has a flashback in it that I made longer than I intended it to be. It made the chapter length longer so there's that. I couldn't stretch out what I originally planned to be about nine or ten thousand words so I got lazy and put a flashback. Sun returns in this chapter and the Ultra Guardians are in for a wild ride. I made a lot of changes to the anime episode so it would tie in with my version of the Sun and Moon anime. I've been having some thoughts about making this story Rated T so I could get away with serious topics that aren't really suitable for the Rated K tag. But I couldn't come up with a final decision. You readers will find out in a later chapter. Something drastic will happen at the end of this chapter. Enjoy.**_

 **Edit: This is reuploaded due to the issues Fanfiction had yesterday. If you haven't already read it then carry on.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

Lusamine was busy on her computer. The professor informed her of the new rare pokémon that an artist known as Mina discovered a few days ago. She had since then stored it in the databanks with Mina's name as the founder.

She didn't know how long she'd been working that night. What she did know was that trying to find ways to save Sun was the number one priority right now. The Aether Foundation couldn't find a lead in which Ultra Wormhole Sun snuck through.

"President?" Wicke came into her office holding a mug of coffee. "I thought you might need this." Lusamine took the mug gratefully.

"Thanks Wicke," Lusamine yawned tiredly and sipped her coffee. "Ugh…" She put it down and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Wicke looked at her with concern. "President? Have you been up all night again? You know we can't have you asleep during the day. I don't think I can temporarily take over your role again." She remembered the amount of paperwork and briefing she had to do.

"I know and I'm sorry for putting you through that," Lusamine apologized. "This Sun business is really stressing me out. I've been checking every Ultra Wormhole that I could find but I still can't track him!" She slammed her fist on her desk and groaned.

"Hmm…" Wicke thought about what she said. "Is it possible that he isn't in an Ultra Wormhole anymore?"

Lusamine's eyes widened. "B-but he can't open it from the inside. Can he?"

As the two stared at each other trying to comprehend the situation, they heard the sound of buzzing alarms in the office.

Lusamine gasped, "An Ultra Beast has been spotted!"

 _ **At the Pokémon School...**_

Ash, Sophocles, Kiawe, Lillie, Lana, and Mallow were at the outside of the Pokémon School. In front of them was a big grey block composed of other blocks stacked on top of each other.

"What is it?" Ash scratched his head, confused by the mysterious being. However, he immediately grinned when he recalled how they begged Professor Kukui to bring a bigger vaulting box.

Kiawe caught on too. "That's Professor Kukui for you! He's prepared a vaulting box bigger than any of us could imagine!" Yesterday, his was pride was dwindled when Lana vaulted over one more step than he did. Now he was determined to do better than anyone in the class. Turning his head to Lana's direction, he saw her doing some squats to prepare for the high jump.

"Can we even leap over this?" Lillie wasn't as amped as Ash and Kiawe. Yesterday, she was the only one who couldn't vault over the box. She was thinking too much of the Sun situation to focus. Two days have passed since they discovered the new pokémon. Mina informed everyone that they wouldn't be seeing her in a while as she had to hide. The International Police could be searching for her and she couldn't take the risk.

On that same day, Ash told everyone how Poipole started to draw all over the walls in the professor's home. It drew the same symbol as it did during their conversation with Mina. She called it, like like love. Rotom showed them pictures of the symbol next to drawing of Pikachu, Ash, the professors, and Ash's pokémon team. It considered them its family.

Things have been going steady as of late. It sounded like a good thing while in truth, it wasn't. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about Sun as they went through their day yesterday as if nothing big was happening. No news or outbreaks have been learned of yet. They were wasting time. If nothing happened soon then it'll be too late for Sun.

"I think I'll just watch," Mallow said nervously. The mysterious object was far too high for her to make it.

"Me too," Sophocles added in. There was no way Togedemaru could help him this time.

"I'll go first!" Ash declared ethusticastically. He got a running start and got ready to jump over the mysterious vaulting box. He narrowly avoided the Alolan Diglett in his way. This came at a cost as it ruined his momentum, forcing him to stop. "Darn." He moped back towards his friends to try again.

"I'm up next! You already had your chance, Ash!" Kiawe barked, much to Ash's ire. Kiawe made a beeline to the jump pad. "I will surpass the mountain of Akala!" He envisioned the vaulting box as a smoldering volcano. He jumped on the pad and it sent him up.

"He just might do it!" Mallow exclaimed, seeing Kiawe inching closer to the top. Lana puffed out her cheeks, her competitive side lurking.

"Easy!" Kiawe boasted, getting on top of the big vaulting box and stretching his hands on top of the box to launch himself forward. Unfortunately for him, when he did this he triggered a block that went down, taking him along too.

"He did it!" Ash cheered, not noticing that Kiawe fell in due to how tall the vaulting box was. His cheery smile faded when he heard Kiawe scream.

"Kiawe!" Everyone hurried over to the other side and saw Kiawe on the ground. "What happened?"

"Eyes…" Kiawe muttered. Several chills went up his spine. "So many eyes were…" He was hyperventilating severely. "Don't look at me!" He screamed.

Sophocles sweatdropped. "Pull yourself together," He said, oblivious to the horrifying things that Kiawe experienced.

"Tsareena." Tsareena knew what to do and marched forward. She raised her leg up and stomped on Kiawe's head. "Tsareena, that's a bit too much," Mallow gulped, watching Kiawe suffer the wrath of her pokémon.

"But he's back to normal," Sophocles pointed out. "What could've happened?"

Kiawe's vision came back to normal. He turned his head to look over the vaulting box. The sight of many eyes still in his head. "Could this vaulting box be…?" Kiawe trailed off, not too sure if he was right or not. The school bell began to ring rapidly, putting the group of students on high alert.

"Everyone!" Professor Kukui came bolting out of the school. "There's an emergency that calls for the Ultra Guardians!!" He told them urgently.

"E-emergency?" Lillie's voice quavered. If it requires the Ultra Guardians then that means that an Ultra Beast has been detected. That meant either they came from space or an… Ultra Wormhole. "Come on guys!" Lillie ran as fast as her legs could take her to the Pokémon School with the others in tow.

What none of them knew was that a dark figure was watching them from up a tree. The figure cackled and made their way to the supposed vaulting box.

"Well, what do we have here?" With each step they took, a wave of dark energy could be seen around them. "Seems like we found our next target." The figure slithered their fingers around the mysterious being.

"UB Assembly, come out and say hello to your new owner."

 _ **At the Ultra Guardians base...**_

The Ultra Guardians made it to their base and were greeted by Clefable. A hologram appeared in front of them. There, there was Wicke, Professor Burnet, and a tired Lusamine.

"Alola, Ultra Guardians." Lusamine tried to hold back a yawn but failed to do so.

"Mother! Are you alright?" Lillie asked worriedly. There were bags under her eyes. Her usual professional posture wasn't there. Instead, she was struggling to stay up. Her hair was a mess, it looked like a tornado came in her office and wrecked havoc.

"Yes, dear," Lusamine reassured her. "But my well-being isn't important. I got Wicke and Professor Burnet to assist me," She yawned. "In the meantime, a new Ultra Beast has appeared."

"What kind of pokémon is it this time?" Ash asked.

The Ultra Guardians last mission was a fail. They let two Ultra Beast slip through their grasp. This was not going to happen a second time if they had anything to say about it.

"We'll send you the information we have. Rotom!"

"Ult-roger!" Rotom buzzed. It headed to the panel and put its hand on it. Once the transferring was complete, Rotom faced the Ultra Guardians to report it.

"Stakataka, the rampart pokémon. It's a rock and steel type. Block-shaped pokémon have gathered together to form a rampart." Rotom had a picture of the Ultra Beast on its screen. "They stay perfectly."

The Ultra Guardians recognized the Ultra Beast straight away. A sense of dread dwelled upon them. This was the vaulting box they encountered earlier.

"Isn't this…?" Sophocles started.

"The vaulting box outside the Pokémon School!" Kiawe finished for him. No wonder there were so many eyes in there. It was an Ultra Beast all along!

"What!? It's right there!?" Wicke boomed. "Lusamine! You have to-" She stopped when she realized that Lusamine had fallen asleep. "Oh! Professor, go take care of the president."

"Hai!" Professor Burnet scooted Lusamine's chair out of view.

Wicke pointed a finger to the Ultra Guardians. "Try your best not to let anything interfere this time. I'll be keeping you updated as you go. Ultra Guardians, move out!" She mimicked Lusamine's usual phrase.

"Ult-roger!" The Ultra Guardians saluted and hurried over to the area where the floor will take them back up to the school.

"Hey, Sophocles," Lillie called over her friend's attention. "Do you think that Sun will be there?" She whispered so only he would hear.

Mallow overhead her question. "Sun! I forgot! He could be there to take the Ultra Beast again!" She blurted out. Lillie glared at the green haired girl, irked that she put everyone on edge. "Can't this thing go any faster?"

"Can't you ever relax?" Lillie retorted. Seeing her mother passed out from exhaustion was worrying enough. Then the Sun situation was added to her disquiet. Her ongoing tension with Mallow quietly broke away for a while but it was now going to pick up again.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm just trying to look out for the team," Mallow apologized sarcastically. "Unlike you. You were trying to hide it with Sophocles!" She accused her hotly.

"H-hey!" Sophocles put his hands up in defense. "I wasn't trying to-"

"So what if I was? I knew you'd react like this anyway. I want to talk with a teammate that actually gets what's going on," Lillie countered, equally ticked off.

"Hey!" Ash and Kiawe cried out. Lana, not wanting to get involved, stayed quiet... like she always did.

"I-I…" Sophocles backed up, standing beside Lana. He didn't want to get in their scuffle either.

"We all know what's going on, Lillie!" Mallow gestured to everyone present. "Don't act like you're special. Just because you think you know Sun doesn't mean we don't know any better." She believed that she spoke for everyone.

"Well…" Ash and Kiawe actually didn't know Sun as well as them. They were hoping the ride up to the school would go faster.

"I do know him better than you!"

"That's because you wouldn't get off his back every five minutes!" The two glared at each other, electricity coming from their eyes and striking one another.

"Hey!" Lana shouted, finding her confidence. "We're here so you two can quit your yapping!" She was the first one out of the area.

"Hmph! Let's go, Ash!" Without asking for his approval, Mallow grabbed his arm and dragged him with her. Their pokémon followed them. The remaining Ultra Guardians headed out together.

Once everyone arrived at the area where they left Stakataka, they were shocked to find out that the Ultra Beast wasn't there anymore. It must've escaped while they were gone.

"Oh no!" Ash panicked. This mission was going to be a failure before it even began. "Where'd it go?!"

"You know what I think," Mallow sneered. "Sun probably got to it already." Before Lillie could explode, Kiawe spoke.

"I don't know, Mallow. Wasn't he in an Ultra Wormhole? He can't escape out of there on his own," He argued, shooting down Mallow's firm belief.

Mallow thought about butting heads with Kiawe, but changed her mind. He did bring up a good point. Only Ultra Beasts themselves can get out of their homes. And that wasn't even their fault. Then there was the invention that they used to send the Ultra Beasts back to its home. As far as Mallow knew, Sun couldn't have been out unless he somehow was dropped off with Stakataka. That possibility was cut short too. He would've caught it when it first dropped off but it was still there when they first encountered it.

There was another mystery going on in Mallow's head. That mystery was why Kiawe was defending Lillie. Usually, he'd agree with her whenever it came to Sun. This wasn't the case these last couple of days.

"I'll go check in with Wicke," Ash said, summoning the hologram on his glove. "Wicke! The Ultra Beast isn't here anymore! Can you track it down?"

Wicke nodded affirmatively. "On it!" She started checking the Ultra Aura from the computer. "Says here that Stakataka is near you guys! To your right! Just go straight and you'll meet it. But wait." Wicke double checked her screen. "It's moving! There's also some type of dark energy with it."

"That must be why it left!" Ash concluded. "If it's moving then we have to catch up with it! Let's go guys!" He took on the leadership role and sprinted to the direction that Wicke said. The others were right behind him.

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

"Faster I say! You call yourselves, Ultra Beasts!?" The dark radiating figure yelled angrily. A Decidueye was carrying him via flying.

Below them was three Ultra Beasts. A Xurkitree and Blacephalon were carrying a big block. This big block was the Ultra Beast, Stakataka. The poor Ultra Beasts did their best to carry their heavy companion.

The plan was to drag Stakataka as far away as possible so they wouldn't have to worry about anyone interfering. Then they'll attack it and capture it for their team.

The figure noticed that the city was up ahead. "Alright, stop here." Blacephalon and Xurkitree let go of Stakataka and rested on the ground. "Get up! Do you want me to hurt you two again!?" The figure threatened.

Xurkitree and Blacephalon reluctantly got back up and hunched over against the tree.

"I guess it'll be bad if you two are all banged up before your big fight." The figure shrugged. "Okay. You two rest up for now. I'll have the others take guard duty." Two poké balls were launched to the air, releasing each pokémon respectively.

"Aerodactyl! Fly around to make sure we aren't being followed! Electabuzz! Charge up Xurkitree with some lightning, pronto!" The two pokémon understood their tasks. Aerodactyl took off to the sky while Electabuzz fired its Shockwave attack on Xurkitree.

"Yes. Rest there. You'll be mine before ya know it," The figure said to Stakataka before disappearing in the shadows.

 _ **With the Ultra Guardians...**_

The Ultra Guardians resorted into using their ride pokémon when Sophocles collapsed, stating that he was too tired. They were following the path and searched around the area for any sign of Stakataka.

Lillie was the sole Ultra Guardian not doing this. She sighed sadly, petting her Altaria gently. Truth be told, she hated fighting with Mallow. It was one of the things that strained everyone's friendships. They pick sides and stick to the individual until the two fighting friends make up.

 _'Why does Mallow have to be so mean? I know I started it, but it was only because she was blowing things out of proportion.'_ Mallow knew that Sun wasn't in control of his…

 _'Oh.'_ Lillie realized that she was the one to mess things up. She forgot that Sun was possessed for the moment and treated Mallow's comment as if she was saying it to the real Sun. _Lillie_ was the one to overreact, not her. She was trying to look after the team after all.

In Lillie's defense, she was used to Mallow making snarky remarks towards Sun. It was all she did when Sun came back. They used to have fights daily after Mallow confronted her of _'hogging'_ Sun. It eventually stopped when Sun left Alola and Mallow apologized for being so rude. Now it was up to Lillie to do the same, whether she wanted to or not.

"Why couldn't things be simpler like when we were kids?"

 **Flashback**

A young Lillie and Sun were walking to Aina's Kitchen with traveling and sleeping bags in their arms. Mallow invited the gang over to have a sleepover at her place.

"I can't wait to sleep at someone else's house. I've never been in a sleepover before," Lillie admitted shyly. She'd always spent her evenings with her family. But her mother has been really busy as of late, leaving her with free time. Gladion reassured her that he'd be fine on his own and encouraged her to have some fun with her friends.

"Not me. Mallow and I used to have sleepovers all the time when we were four. Over these last three years, it sort of died down a bit. So when I was bored, I stayed over at Sophocles' place. One time, Lana invited me over to her house too," Sun rambled on, a smile on his face as he did so.

 _'Sun is so social.'_ Lillie thought in her head. She'd stay by his side whenever they went out with Sun's other friends. She warmed up to them eventually, though she still acted a bit shy.

"You can stay over at my place sometime." Lillie blushed and stared down at the sidewalk. "That is if you want to! I'm not trying to force you or anything!" She didn't want Sun to think she was being pushy. Her friendship with Sun was one she never wanted to break.

To her surprise, Sun laughed. "Woah! Chill, Lillie. You're not forcing me. I know you would never do that," He responded with a grin, unknowingly warming Lillie's heart. "As for the sleepover, I don't know…" Sun had a troubled look on his face.

Lillie panicked. "Oh! Do you hate me now? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do whatever I did!" She bowed her head down, hoping he'd forgive her.

"It's not that. I will never hate ya, Lillie." Sun playfully swiped her hat. "It's just that your brother gives me the chills. I'm not supposed to say this but every time he's around, he pulls me away and gives me a lecture on how I should be nice to ya. If I'm not, he said he would give me a wet willie!" Sun shuddered, imagining the feeling.

Lillie cupped her cheeks with her hands. "I'm sorry Gladion did that! I didn't know. He's just so overprotective like my mom at times." She was beyond embarrassed of her family's actions. They mean well but it prevented her from doing other things without them.

"It's fine." Sun brushed it off calmly. "He's a bit scary but I sure he won't hurt me." He sweatdropped. "Maybe."

The next minute was filled with silence. Lillie was too embarrassed to utter a single word. Sun noticed this and did his best to cheer her up.

He removed his hat and put on hers. "Say, Lillie." He stopped in front of her. "How do I look? Pretty rich, eh?" Sun struck a goofy pose. As planned, this got a giggle out of Lillie. He placed his hat over hers. "This is way better. I'm feeling both rich and cunning."

"Jerk." Lillie was about the same height as Sun. He beat her by an inch. She yanked his hat towards her and put it on. "I bet I appear like an adventurer."

"That hat does not go with your style." They exchanged hats back and chatted until they reached Aina's Kitchen.

"Sun! Lillie!" Their pal, Sophocles, waved his hands to the air.

"Sophocles!" Sun and Sophocles high-fived each other. "Is Mallow ready yet?"

Sophocles shook his head. "No. She has a few more chores to do in the restaurant. Mallow invited us in the restaurant until then. Come on!" He went back inside the restaurant. Sun and Lillie followed, amused by his eager nature.

Mallow was wiping the counter when she saw Sun and Lillie arrive. "Hey guys! Glad you two got here!"

"I wouldn't miss one of your sleepovers for the world, Mallow!" Sun went over to the counter and sparked a conversation with his oldest friend while she was doing her chores.

"So, Lillie," Sophocles started. They sat at a table as they waited. "You nervous? This is your first sleepover after all." He was slurping some of his stew after he finished.

Lillie nodded. "Yes. I've come prepared for this sleepover." She set her traveling bag on the table. "I got my pajamas, my toothbrush, my hairbrush, a pillow, a set of clothes for tomorrow, a backup pajama, a backup toothbrush, a backup hairbrush, a backup pillow, a backup set of clothes, a backup backup pajama, a backup backup toothbrush-" She would've gone longer if it wasn't for Sophocles stopping her.

"You sure do have a lot of backups. You do know it's just for the night, right?" He chuckled awkwardly. The real mystery was how she fit all of that in her bag.

Lillie flushed, embarrassed. "I know! It's just that I want to be extra careful." Just then, Lana entered the restaurant with her sleeping bag.

"Lana!" Mallow waved at her happily. Lana waved back and sat at the table where Lillie and Sophocles was.

"S-sorrry for being a little late. Mom wanted me to help out with the twins," Lana said quietly.

"That's alright! We were just waiting for Mallow to finish up," Sophocles replied. He finished up the rest of his stew and sighed contentedly.

Lillie fidgeted with her dress. "This may sound a little silly but what do people do during sleepovers?" She asked with a cheeky smile.

Sophocles jumped in, "It's awesome! We get to stay up really late! We can watch movies, eat snacks, play games, and just hang out," He explained from his personal experience. Suddenly, Lillie and Sophocles froze, feeling a dark presence nearby.

Lana had her head down. She slowly lifted her head with a serious expression on her face.

"Yes. We also tell each other scary stories that keep us up all night," Lana interjected, her voice sounding odd. "And I came prepared."

Sophocles and Lillie flinched. Whatever she had planned was sure to spook them.

"Done!" Mallow exclaimed, coming over to their table with Sun. "Now we can go to the house and head to my room!" She led the others outside and went inside the building next to Aina's Kitchen. They went up the flight of stairs and dashed into Mallow's room.

The five kids giggled as they chased each other. Sun tripped and dramatically fell on his side. He placed a hand over his forehead.

"I hath slipped into thy own demise." His wording confused the others.

"I don't think that's how you're supposed to say that," Lillie giggled, placing her sleeping bag a few feet away from Sun's. Sophocles dumped his stuff near the corner of the room where the outlet was. Lana made herself comfortable near Mallow's bed.

"I'm so excited!" Mallow clapped her hands joyfully. "What should we do first?" Sun and Sophocles exchanged mischievous glances and smirked evilly.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Sophocles inquired.

"Totally! We should…" He raised his arms above his head. "...take over the world!!" He declared, a crackle of lightning past him during this.

Mallow, Sophocles, Lana, and Lillie sweatdropped. They didn't know what his deal was with taking over the world. He brought it up every so often, making them wonder if he really was serious about it.

"No…" Sophocles drawled out, ceasing Sun's laughter. "We should go pull a prank," He proposed sneakily.

"A prank?" Lillie repeated. This night was filled with first times for her.

"Not on us!" Mallow was against the idea. The two usually pranked them. It wasn't anything harmful. Humiliating at best.

"Don't worry." Sun got over his disappointment. "I was thinking more like your brother, Ulu." He soothed her worries.

Mallow perked up at that. "Oh yeah! He didn't save me any ice cream earlier!" Everyone gasped at the revelation. "He deserves to be pranked."

"Great!" Sun chirped. "Since you know him better, what's one thing he doesn't like?"

"Hmm…" A light bulb popped up from above her head and she huddled her friends together. The whispers and giggles of the children filled the room. They dispersed and went in two groups. Group one was Mallow and Sophocles. Group two was Sun, Lillie and Lana.

"Yeah! Ready everyone?" Mallow put her hand out. Everyone stacked their hands with each other. "Ultra Alolan Pranking Team, roll out!"

"Alright!" The five went out of Mallow's room. Sun, Lillie, and Lana went down the stairs while Mallow and Sophocles dove quietly in Ulu's room.

"Hehe. This is so going to be hilarious!" Sun chuckled, rubbing his hands together like a villain. Lana was right beside him.

"Mission prank Mallow's brother is a go!" Lana spoke. Lillie was behind them, uncertain if they should go with the plan.

"I don't know. Isn't it a little mean? Lillie wasn't on board with the whole prank idea.

"Yes," Lana responded immediately, not caring if it didn't calm Lillie's nerves. The prank had got her riled up.

"Lana!" Sun bopped her in the head. She returned the gesture by socking him in the arm. "Hey!" The two got into a scuffle. Lillie had no luck stopping them so she went at it alone.

The blonde haired girl slowly crept in the kitchen. She grabbed a chair and pushed it to the counter. Hopping up the chair, she stood up and reached her hands on the handle of the cabinet. Finding what she was searching for, Lillie closed the cabinet and read over the object she picked up.

"Cool Whippy Cream Deluxe. Buy one, get one free." She shook the can of whip cream and heard the contents inside. Satisfied, Lillie jumped down and put the chair back. Her next task involved going in the downstairs closest.

Opening the closest door, Lillie poked her head in. There were various random items in there. On one of the shelves, she spotted a row of hats. One of them was what she needed. Grabbing the hat, Lillie plucked the feather from it and put it back. She closed the door and went to go check on Sun and Lana.

"Grr… take that back!"

"N-never! The sun will always be a big dumb star!" Lana had Sun pinned to the floor, beating him in their scuffle.

"Aw man," Sun whined, not enjoying the taunt one bit. He had a suspicion that Mallow was the one who taught her that.

Lana's eyes softened, feeling bad for what she said. Judging by Sun's sad face, he was hurt by the comment.

"I'm sorry, Sun! I didn't-"

"Gotcha!" Sun cut her off, pushing her off of him. "Now who's the ones with the jokes?" Lana's jokes were usually downright cruel. It scared everyone. Now she was having a taste of her own medicine.

"Guys?" Lillie attracted their attention. "I got the stuff." She held the feather and the can of whip cream.

"Cool! You're the best, Lillie!" Sun praised her for handling the work all on her own. Lillie's cheeks reddened at the compliment. A bashful smile replaced her straight face.

"Dummy. Don't let your guard down!" Lana kicked Sun in the back, causing him to fall. "Now I'm going to tell a really scary story," Shs warned them before going up the stairs.

"Ow." Lillie helped Sun to his feet. He leaned on her for support. "Sometimes I regret breaking her out of her shell. Now she's breaking me!" He whimpered dramatically. "Help me up the stairs, Lillie!"

"W-what?" Lillie stuttered. "I can't…"

"Pwease?" Sun pleaded, doing his best impression of puppy dog eyes.

"Fine," Lillie gave in, allowing Sun to wrap an arm around her. Her face was steaming red at the contact. Together, they climbed up the stairs. Sun limped against the railing, using it as another support.

Finally making it to the top, Sun magically regained his footing. "Thanks a bunch, Lillie!" He left in the dust, which was good for Lillie. She leaned on the wall, clutching her hat in her chest. The madly thumping heart beats slowly going back to normal.

"W-what is this?" Lillie asked to herself. She didn't know what was going on but deep down, she kind of enjoyed it. Taking one last deep breath, Lillie walked to where the others were.

"Ulu is going to regret sleeping in so early." Mallow grinned. "There you are, Lillie. And you got the stuff!" She snatched the items in her hands and made a beeline inside Ulu's room. Mallow slowly opened the door, revealing a dark room and a sleeping Ulu.

"On second thought." Sophocles backed up when he saw the dark room. "You guys go ahead. I'll keep watch with Lillie and Lana." Everyone agreed, understanding his true motive.

Mallow tip toed inside with the can of whip cream in her hand. Sun followed with the feather in his grasp. The scene was already funny enough due to Ulu's loud snoring. He had his hand open. This was exactly what they needed.

"I'll go first." Mallow sprayed a load of whip cream on his palm.

"Hope ya like frosting, Ulu!" Sun tickled Ulu's nose with the feather. Ulu grunted and unconsciously attempted to scratch his itchy nose with his hand. Instead, he plastered the whip cream all over his face, waking him up instantly.

"Go! Go!" Mallow said in between her laughter. The five kids raced to Mallow's room, laughing merrily as Ulu chased them. Even Lillie let out a giggle.

"Inside!" The kids all went inside Mallow's room and slammed the door. They made sure to lock it too. The five were on the floor, laughing their hearts out as Ulu was banging on the door, promising Mallow that he'd get payback. The banging eventually went away along with their laughter.

Sun, Mallow, Sophocles, Lana, and Lillie spent the following two hours watching a comedy movie and eating snacks. They were enjoying their time together as friends. When the movie ended, Lana chimed in with her next idea.

"It's time for the…" She pulled out the flashlight that she packed and shined it at her face. "Scary stories!"

Everyone sat around the corner of the room. The lights were turned out, except for Sophocles' night light. He plugged it in the outlet and got comfortable in his sleeping bag.

"Who's going first?" Mallow asked.

"I will!" Sun announced, grabbing the flashlight from Lana. "Be ready to be scared straight. For I am going to tell the tale of a man who you all might be familiar with. It's about... Battle Legend Blue!" Sun declared, pumping his fist to the air.

The others shared confused glances with each other. "Who?"

"Ah. That's right. You guys were born in Alola." Sun snapped his fingers. "To fill ya in, Battle Legend Blue is great friends with Battle Legend Red! Red has to be the greatest of all time!" He had stars in his eyes as he talked about them.

He continued, "On to the story itself." Sun turned the flashlight on below his face. "There was this pokemon trainer named Blue and he owned a Raticate. One day he decided to visit Lavender Town. He immediately felt uncomfortable by the eerie atmosphere. Blue felt shivers go up his spine every two minutes. He heard a voice call out to him. Its voice haunted his mind. It said, _'Come to me, for I will show you the real truth behind training your pokémon.'_ "

Lillie hugged her Clefairy doll closely. She didn't like where this story was going. Sophocles scooted closer to his night light, finding comfort in it. Mallow and Lana listened on intently.

"Blue's Raticate fled to a random direction after the voice was finished. speaking. Blue, concerned for his pokemon, followed the Raticate around town. It was dark which did nothing to ease Blue's nerves. The Raticate ran into a building named the Pokémon Tower. Blue slowly walked inside. He could hear maniacal laughter from all directions. The voice telling him, _'Come inside and you'll surely find a nice surprise waiting for you.'_ Blue could hear footsteps from behind him but it turned out to be nothing. Entering the building, he found the many tombstones for pokémon. In the middle of everything is what made him scream! There, was his Raticate laying there... DEAD!" Sun shouted loudly, tossing a cookie at Lillie.

"Ah!" Lillie shrieked and ran away to the other side of Mallow's room. Sophocles gasped but managed to stay in place. Mallow shifted her body on the floor, frightened. She was expecting that ending. It was nerve wracking to even think about. Lana yawned, not impressed by Sun's story.

"What?" Sun saw this and frowned. "You think you can do any better than that?" He challenged.

"Yes I do," Lana replied coldly. "Give me the flashlight." Sun passed her the flashlight and went over to comfort Lillie. He apologized repeatedly while she hugged him.

"There once was a lonely kid who's name just so happen to be… Sun." The real Sun glowered at the blue haired girl. "He turned out to be a weak trainer and never beat a Kahuna. The end," She finished, setting the flashlight down.

"Hey!" Sun hissed. "That was uncalled for! Tell a real scary story!"

"Okay. Okay," Lana sighed. "There was this boy, he called himself… Percy. Yes, Percy."

"Percy? Seriously?" Sun interrupted, disbelief written on his face.

"Shh!" Lana shushed him before continuing. "Percy lived in Poni Island. One day he decided to go out on a walk. He got to Poni Plains and explored around the area. Then, an eerie tune filled his ears. It was like a lullaby, one that he couldn't get enough of. The sky got foggy, and the tune got louder. He turned around a saw a Hypno, waving its pendulum left and right. It said, _'Come little child, come with me. Safe and happy you will be. Away from your home let us run. With Hypno, you'll have so much fun.'_ The Hypno walked away. Percy, intrigued, followed it. The fog made it difficult to see but Percy knew where it was because of the tune."

Sun could feel Lillie shake even more in his arms. To stop this, Sun covered Lillie's ears with his hands and listened on to Lana's creepy story. He wouldn't admit it but he was terrified of Hypno's after that night.

Sophocles grabbed an extra night light from his bag and plugged it in the outlet. The more light, the better.

Mallow covered her whole body with her blanket except for her face. She didn't know Lana was going to have a story this spooky.

Lana went on, "Percy smiled when he saw Hypno out in the distance again. The tune got louder and louder. He could hear Hypno continue its lullaby. It sang, _'Oh, little children, please don't cry. Hypno wouldn't hurt a fly. Be free, be free, be free to play. Come down in my cave with me to stay.'_ Percy followed Hypno down in his cave. The singing Hypno suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Percy! It dragged him further in the cave. Hypno pushed Percy against the wall and tied him up with some rope as it sang, _'Oh, little children, please don't squirm. Those ropes, I know, will hold you firm. Hypno tells you this is true. But sadly, Hypno lied to you.' "_

"Alright! Alright! We get it! We get it!" Sun frantically shook his head. "Just stop! Stop!"

"You did ask me for a…" Lana trailed off when she noticed everyone's state. Sophocles curled his body into a ball and faced his night light. Mallow buried herself in her blanket, rocking her body back in forth. Sun was desperately holding onto Lillie as he covered her ears. The two were shaking, frightened by her story.

Lana gasped, "O-oh! I'm sorry guys! I didn't mean to-"

"Let's just go to sleep," Sun said loud enough for everyone but Lillie to hear. No one objected as they got into their sleeping bags. Mallow tucked herself in her bed. Sun was in his own sleeping bag. Lillie refused to leave his side, so she pressed her sleeping back next to Sun's. Sophocles had his face close to the wall, next to his night light.

"Did I ruin the sleepover?" Lana meeked out, ashamed for what she did. She should've toned it down like her mother requested her to do before coming here.

"N-no." Sun was the one to answer her. "You did your job and told us a scary story. We're just too scared to do anything else. Sorry, Lana," He apologized to her sincerely. "We'll talk in the morning. Just get some shut eye."

"Okay. Thanks, Sun." Lana got into her own sleeping bag and had no trouble sleeping soundly. The others didn't fare so well.

After ten minutes of silence, Sun sat up. "You guys want to huddle up? You know, for extra reassurance."

"Yes!" Lillie, Mallow, and Sophocles agreed. They rounded up near Sophocles' spot since he had two night lights.

"I actually feel kind of better," Sun admitted lamely. "Well, night guys."

"Night!" One by one, they all drifted to sleep. First Sun, then Sophocles, and lastly, Mallow. Lillie was wide awake. She couldn't get the stories out of her mind.

"Sun…" Lillie poked his sleeping bag to wake up her friend. "Sun…" Sun wasn't getting up any time soon. The blonde haired girl slipped out of her sleeping bag and grabbed a spare blanket from Mallow's bed.

Lillie laid down next to Sun and snuggled her face next to his sleeping bag. She draped the blanket over her and stared at Sun's sleeping face. She rested her head on what she assumed to be his shoulder and found the extra sense of security she needed.

Lillie quickly fell asleep after that.

 **End of Flashback**

"You alright there, Lillie? You been spacing out for a few minutes." Ash snapped Lillie out of her unnecessary long thoughts.

"Yes. I was just remembering something," Lillie replied with a distant look on her face.

"If you need someone to talk to, we'll hear you out," Ash offered before taking the lead again. "We've been flying for a while now. How long is it now?" He asked Wicke from the hologram.

"According to this, the Ultra Aura has stopped moving," Wicke informed them. "The dark energy has vanished too so you don't have to worry about that. You're good to go."

"Awesome!" Ash cried out, elated by the news. The other Ultra Guardians heard the news too and sped forward.

Two minutes have passed and Kiawe spotted something in the distance. Upon further examination, he identified it as an Aerodactyl.

"Heads up!" Kiawe alerted the Ultra Guardians so they wouldn't crash into it. They stopped their ride pokémon to let the Aerodactyl fly through safely.

The Aerodactyl stopped in its tracks. It stared at the Ultra Guardians for what felt like minutes. The fossil pokémon let out a loud screech and flew back to the place it came from.

"Huh?" Ash wondered what just happened. They didn't look that scary for an Aerodactyl. Turning around, Ash didn't catch anything that could be a threat to Aerodactyl.

"Maybe it forgot something," Mallow guessed. They didn't have time to think about it right now. They were on a mission. With some reluctance, the Ultra Guardians resumed their journey.

"Hey!" Lana caught something from the corner of her eye. She looked down to confirm her suspicions. "I see something over there!" She pointed to the general area where she saw something big.

"Good eye, Lana!" Kiawe complimented her. The Ultra Guardians landed near a clear opening and raced to the area. "There it is!" Stakataka was right there, but it wasn't alone.

"There's that Aerodactyl we saw earlier!" Sophocles pointed out. "And that's an Electabuzz, too!" Standing next to Aerodactyl, was Electabuzz. They appeared to be guarding Stakataka. Rotom scanned the two pokémon.

"It must've come back here to protect Stakataka! But why?" Mallow inquired. They couldn't have carried Stakataka themselves. Something was fishy about this.

"Electabuzz, Aerodactyl." Ash approached the two pokémon carefully. "We kind of need that Stakataka right now so would you be nice enough to move out of the way?" He asked in a gentle tone.

The two pokémon firmly shook their head. Electabuzz was surrounded by lightning, daring them to come closer. Aerodactyl screeched and stretched its wings.

The Ultra Guardians took a step back. The two pokémon weren't going to be talked out of leaving so that meant only one option.

"Let's battle them!" Kiawe declared, not waiting for anyone to respond. "Marowak, Bonemerang!" Marowak flung its bone directly at Electabuzz. The bone club with merely inches away from hitting until-

"Thunder Punch!" A dark raspy voice yelled. Electabuzz's fist glowed a bright yellow and its arm was sparkling with electricity. It punched the bone club back at Marowak, knocking him down for the moment.

"T-that voice," Lillie whispered. She'd never forget a voice like that. "G-guys…" Out of nowhere, Blacephalon and Xurkitree came out from hiding behind a row of trees. Blacephalon came bouncing next to its partners in its ball form while Xurkitree slithered its way beside Electabuzz. A Decidueye came from one of the tree and nestled itself on top of Aerodactyl.

"N-no way!" Kiawe's head was starting to spin. The only person he knew that owned Blacephalon, Xurkitree, and Decidueye was Sun.

"Look for him!" Mallow hollered. The Ultra Beasts scanned the whole area to find some sign of Sun. Sophocles' Togedemaru poked her face in a bush and came back screaming. She hid behind Sophocles' legs, terrified by what she experienced.

"Tsareena! Trop Kick whatever is in there!" Mallow ordered. Tsareena ran towards the bush but stopped mid-way and came rushing back to Mallow.

"Marowak, Shadow Bone!" Marowak was brave, nothing could scare it. The bone club pokémon inflamed its bone club and charged at the ominous bush. It jumped and let out a battle cry, slamming its flaming club bone on the bush. The bush was crisped to the ground.

"Sun!!!" Lillie shrieked, witnessing a murder right in front of her. The tears started to fall from her face. "Kiawe…"

"Ah!" Kiawe gasped. "N-no! I didn't mean to d-do that! You believe me, right guys!" He tried to convince his friends that it wasn't his directly his fault. Mallow, Sophocles, Ash, Lana, and Lillie distanced themselves from Kiawe the murderer. Even if it wasn't his fault, it would be considered manslaughter.

Marowak was the same. It was begging its pokémon friends for forgiveness. They always knew Marowak was a bit of a hot head. But now that he was the cause of a murder… they were inclined to be wary of it.

Kiawe felt something creep up his spine. He flinched and turned around to see what it was.

There was no one there.

"Boo," The same raspy voice from earlier whispered in his ear. Kiawe tumbled to the ground and tilted his head up to get a glimpse of who did the deed.

"S-sun…?" Kiawe could barely identify the figure as Sun. His appearance made his blood run cold.

His skin was paler than ever. His eyes were bloodshot red. The type of red one gets when they haven't slept a wink. His hair was a disheveled mess, strands of his hair reaching down to his eyes. Sun's clothes were a mess. There were some tears in his clothing and splotches of mud. There was a dark aura surrounding his whole body, proving that something was indeed taking over his body.

"You all shouldn't have followed me." Sun grinned sinisterly as Kiawe grouped up with the others. "UB Assembly is ours. When we figure out how to get it to come out, we'll attack and capture it."

"Sun!" Lillie grabbed his attention. "Can you hear me in there?!"

"Loud and clear, blondie." Sun tapped his knuckles on his forehead.

Lillie went to get closer but was held back by Kiawe and Lana. "L-let me go! I got to go talk to him! He needs me!" She thrashed all around. It took the help of all the Ultra Guardians to restrain her from going any further.

Kiawe grunted, "That's not, Sun! Remember Lillie, you can't talk him out of whatever is possessing him!" Lillie's struggling came to an end. The Ultra Guardians let their grip on her go, believing that Kiawe's words got to her.

"Sun!" Lillie narrowly avoided her teammates hands and darted towards Sun.

"Electabuzz, Shockwave!" Sun ordered. Lillie didn't have enough time to react as the field of electricity came barreling to her.

Luckily for Lillie, Decidueye reacted fast enough to bolt right in front of her and counter the Shockwave with Leaf Storm. He landed on the ground and glared daggers at his trainer.

"Decidueye!" Lillie was amazed that one of Sun's pokémon saved her. Decidueye stuck with Sun while the rest of his pokémon stayed behind. Now, Sun has new pokémon that wouldn't have any memory of his past. Decidueye didn't fit in that category and he saved Lillie because of this.

"Decidueye! What do you think you're doing!? Get back here, birdbrain!" Sun demanded harshly.

Decidueye shook his head. He was tired of Sun's new attitude. The only reason he stayed with him was out of loyalty for being Sun's starter. Decidueye knew something was in Sun. Being a half ghost-type himself, it recognized whatever was in there as a half ghost-type too. He couldn't snap Sun out of it. Doing so would mean roughly hurting his trainer, something Decidueye wished not to do.

With the Ultra Guardians here, they could assist him into bringing down Sun. With that, Decidueye raised his wing and pulled out an arrow. He aimed it at Sun.

"Talk about a turn of events! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. A pokémon turning on their trainer? It was unheard of.

"Guys!" Ash spoke up. "Decidueye is going to help us! We need to act now!" He called his pokémon forward.

"Ash's right! Everyone has to battle!" Kiawe agreed. "Even you, Lillie!" Lillie gulped but nodded reluctantly.

Sun scoffed, "This again? I may not have my usual pokémon but I have two Ultra Beasts with me!" He laughed cockily and then took out another poké ball. "I always keep a spare! Come on out!" Sun released his last pokémon.

A loud roar boomed ferociously. His next pokémon was none other than Pyroar. Observing its features, Rotom confirmed it to be a male.

"Hehe." Sun chuckled darkly. The dark aura grew stronger around him. "Let's get this over with."

 **Possessed Sun vs. The Ultra Guardians!**

Pikachu, Lycanroc, Rowlet, Torracat, Tsareena, Turtonator, Marowak, Togedemaru, Charjabug, Popplio, and Snowy stood in a straight row. Decidueye was in the front of them, acting like a leader during this confrontation.

"If ya impress me then there'll be a day's worth of rest in it for you!" Sun offered to his pokémon. This motivated them more. "Let's start this off with a doozy. Blacephalon, Mind Blown!" Sun started off with its strongest move.

Blacephalon floated a few feet in the air. It removed its head and tossed it at the group of pokémon. Its head began to glow many bright colors before it exploded. The explosion surrounded the entire area. The Ultra Guardians ducked for cover so they wouldn't get harmed by Blacephalon's move.

When they looked back up to check the results, one of their pokémon were already out for the count.

"Charjabug!" Sophcoles' Charjabug was the first knockout. Togedemaru, Rowlet, and Popplio were badly injured but managed to stand their position. Poipole was hiding behind Ash, it was inexperienced in battle. It learned Fury Attack but Ash didn't want this to be its second battle. Fighting Team Skull was one thing, fighting a champion worthy trainer was another.

Blacephalon regrew its head and its body cackled with small explosions. Unbeknownst to the Ultra Guardians, this was a part of its ability, Ultra Boost. Mind Blown came out a cost as it takes a day for it to grow another backup head. Sun couldn't use the move a second time without Blacephalon being unable to battle.

"Xurkitree, Power Whip!" Xurkitree flung one of its long cable-like limbs at all of the pokémon. They were all thrown off to the side. Luckily, none of them were unconscious.

"We've got to get in the offensive!" Kiawe told his teammates. "Ash, Lana, and I will handle the Ultra Beasts! Sophocles, Mallow, and Lillie take care of the rest." No one objected and separated into two groups. Decidueye joined Sophocles' group seeing as they only had one pokémon each.

"Six on one? No fair," Sun pouted. "Give a guy a chance, won't ya?"

"You're not getting away from us this time!" Mallow shouted confidently. "If we double team his pokémon one by one then we'll get through them in no time," She whispered to her group.

"Right!" Sophocles responded. Lillie merely nodded. "Togedemaru, Zip Zap on Aerodactyl!" Sophocles chose the unlucky pokémon first.

"Trop Kick to Aerodactyl!" Mallow added in.

"Help them with Powder Snow, Snowy!" Lillie went along with what they did. Poor Aerodactyl waited for Sun to give it a command but he was too busy with the others. The fossil pokémon was first hit by Togedemaru's lightning enforced body, then frozen by Snowy's Powder Snow, and finally broken out of the ice by Tsareena's painfully mighty legs.

"Already?" Sophocles blinked. He hadn't expected the plan to work so well. He assumed that being one of Sun's pokémon meant that it'd be a lot more tougher. Either it was too exhausted or too inexperienced. It was most likely both.

Aerodactyl, Pyroar, and Electabuzz were caught by Sun a few days ago. They were immediately forced to train. Electabuzz and Pyroar evolved as a result. They hadn't accustomed to their new evolved form since they were trained so hard. Exhaustion was the downside of so much training in so little time.

Pyroar and Electabuzz discovered that they were on their own without their trainer. Improvisation was the next move for them. Electabuzz used Thunder Punch again and charged at Decidueye with its electrifying fist.

Decidueye vanished in thin air. Electabuzz stood on the spot that the arrow quill pokémon last was and tried to detect his location. Decidueye revealed himself behind it and used Leaf Storm. The many sharp blades of leaves cut through Electabuzz, resulting in it being knocked out.

Pyroar roared. He was angry that his friends were down. Decidueye closed his eyes and conjured up a Grass Knot. Pyroar easily broke out of it by letting out a small blast of fire on it. Fortunately for Decidueye, he had other ways of keeping an opponent at bay.

Decidueye pulled out an arrow and raised his wing. Pyroar found himself unable to move. Tilting his head down, it saw his own shadow preventing it from escaping. A shadowy aura was on the tip of the arrow. Decidueye released the arrow. The arrow zipped as fast as light itself. It went into several loops and then precisely hit Pyroar scare in the face. A burst of blue fire-like energy was created around Pyroar.

The royal pokémon collapsed on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

Mallow's jaw dropped. "He's so strong. Decidueye never lost a step since I last saw it battle." Sun's Decidueye accepted the praise and flew over to where the remaining opponents were.

"We got to go help Ash, Lana, and Kiawe!" Sophocles instructed. The three Ultra Guardians were shocked to see most of their teammates pokémon down. All that was left was Ash's Pikachu and Lycanroc, and then Kiawe's Turtonator. Lana's Popplio was out cold, being tended by Lana.

"Xurkitree, grab that Turtonator!" With its Ultra Beast strength, Xurkitree miraculously lifted up Turtonator with two of its arms. "Slam him over there!" Sun motioned it over to Stakataka. He hoped it would wake up by the force.

"Turtonator, try and wiggle out of there!" Kiawe advised him but to no avail. Turtonator was slammed face first onto the top of Stakataka. "Get on top of him and blast him with your electricity!" Xurkitree wrapped its limbs around Turtonator's body and began sending thousands of volts into his body.

"Ash, you got to help!" Kiawe pleaded.

Ash grunted, "I got to deal with this first. Pikachu, Electro Web!" Ash was currently battling Blacephalon with Pikachu and Lycanroc. Pikachu stored tons of electricity into his tail to create the web. He then throw the Electro Web at Blacephalon.

"Protect your head!" Sun alternated between his two Ultra Beasts. Blacephalon tossed its head out of the way and quickly avoided the web by laying prone with its body. "Now use Flame Burst!" Blacephalon's headless body did a kip up and landed next to its head. It threw it close to Pikachu. The head spun several times, making several explosion that hit Pikachu. The mouse pokémon's body skidded fifteen feet backwards.

Ash frowned. This outcome wasn't looking so good. "Lycanroc, Stone Edge!" Lycanroc's eyes glowed red and it slammed its paws on the ground. Multiple jagged stones popped up from the ground and continued until it reached Blacephalon. The attack hit perfectly and it sent Blacephalon on top of Xurkitree. Xurkitree was momentarily stunned, stopping the attack on Turtonator.

"Up! Up!" Sun stomped his foot on the ground. "Pyroar, use-" Sun finally noticed that his Pyroar was down along with the rest of his pokémon. "No! It can't end like this!!!" Sun screamed at the top of his lungs. He dug his fingernails deep inside the palm of his hands as he clenched his fists.

 **Winner - The Ultra Guardians!**

"End of the line, Sun!" Ash called out to his possessed friend. "Guys! We have to hurry up and attack Blacephalon and Xurkitree!" With what pokémom everyone had left, they needed to make a final impact to end it. All the remaining pokémon prepared their strongest move.

"No!!!" Sun made his way in front of Stakataka and spread his arms out wide. His two Ultra Beasts were resting on top of Stakataka, too exhausted to move. Turtonator was beneath them, struggling to push them off. The pain he endured by Xurkitree didn't help his escape.

"If you want to hurt my Ultra Beasts then you have to hurt me!" Sun climbed up Stakataka using one of Xurkitree's limbs. "Do it! You'll complete your stupid little mission but at what cost? The possible life of an innocent person?" Sun sneered, referring to his true self deep inside him.

"Shoot." The pokémon ultimately stopped their attack, unsure of what to do. Their trainers were just as equally bewildered.

"Yes! I knew you guys were soft! Losers!" Sun made a L with his index finger, thumb and put it over his forehead. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll-"

 _ **Rumble!**_

"Eh!?!?" Sun felt something shake under him. He quickly climbed back down to see what it was. Stakataka started to grow legs. It stood up and roughly shakes everyone off of him, causing Turtonator, Blacephalon, and Xurkitree to go flying. Most of the blocks on its leg had an eye. The main center of its front side body had a single eye in the center.

What no one knew at the time was that Stakataka hated things that were on top of it. This being, the two Ultra Beasts, Turtonator, and Sun. Enraged, it woke from its resting state to see who the culprit was.

Sun waved his hands around like a mad man. "Oi! Ya big block of stone! You finally got up! It was I, Sun, who has summoned you! Since I did, that makes me your master now and you'll follow everything that I say!" Sun barked, fishing out an Ultra Ball from his pocket. "Now you're going to let me catch you and you're going to do nothing about it, got it!?" He tossed the Ultra Ball at Stakataka.

"Ultra Balls don't work on Ultra Beasts!" Kiawe informed him from afar.

"What?" Sun's eyes turned into dots as the Ultra Ball bounced right back into his arms. Stakataka's body outline glowed a shiny red. It let out a robotic-like screech and rammed its body into Sun. A dark shadow was extracted from his body as he was sent flying back and crashed into multiple trees. Each tree he collided into snapped in half. Which was about seven of them.

"Sun!" Lillie screamed. That had to have caused major injuries. She ran to go check on him.

"Lillie!" Mallow, Sophocles, Kiawe, Lana, and Ash were too distracted by the departing Lillie to focus on the rampaging Ultra Beast. Stakataka stomped its four legs to the ground, making a mini earthquake in the process. All of the Ultra Guardians lost their footing and tumbled to the ground.

"You have to stay, Lillie! We need you!" Ash reminded her of the mission at hand. "What do we do?! I don't think it appreciated Sun's insults very much!" He grouped up his remaining two pokémon and got out of Stakataka's way. Stakataka kept stomping its legs to the ground, not afraid of severely punishing anyone in its way.

"Sun angered it too much! Now it's in a full rampage mode!" Mallow contemplated on what they should do next.

"Turtonator!" Somehow, Turtonator landed right back on Stakataka after being launched into the air. This made Stakataka madder than ever. It began to run around in circles. The Ultra Guardians were on guard, steering clear of its way.

Stakataka opened up its top side and chucked five rocks up in the air. It did this four times. Twenty huge rocks were now falling from the sky. They descended down to the ground at random spots.

Lillie yelped as she was separated from Snowy. She ran away from the falling rocks. She made it to the middle of the area, panting from the running. Out of the blue, a familiar voice called out to her.

"L-lillie… it's really you…" Sun was forcing himself to crawl to her. The pain he suffered from being put through all those trees did a number on him. But it would all be worth it so he could see his friend again. "I-I'm happy… I'm really h-happy I g-get to see y-you again…" He struggled to speak, coughing every so often.

"Sun? I-Is that really you?!" She asked excitedly. Sun weakly nodded, staring directly at her. His eyes were back to normal. His fair skin was reverting back to its usual color. His hair was still a mess but that was to be expected since Sun couldn't really fix it at the moment.

"Sun!" Lillie cheered emotionally. Her worries were finally going to come to an end. Nothing was possessing Sun anymore.

 _'Ghost-type pokémon break out of their host if physical harm is inflicted.'_ Moon's words fluttered in her mind. She was telling the truth after all! Marshadow was a strong pokémon. It would take a lot of force to knock it out of Sun's body. Now that it happened, Sun was free from its control.

Lillie was about to hurry over to him until another voice called out to her.

"Lillie! Help!" Mallow cried out in desperation. Lillie turned around to see Mallow's foot get stuck under one of Stakataka's rocks. No one was around, leaving Lillie as the only option. Mallow's problems further increased when Stakataka came barreling towards her way. If she wasn't freed then it could perhaps be the last time Lillie saw her in good condition.

Of course, life always had to throw another obstacle to her.

"L-lillie! It's coming!" Facing Sun again, Lillie could make out the dark shadow in the distance. It was gunning for the injured Sun. He couldn't even stand up to go save himself. Tears started to spill from Sun's eyes. He didn't want Marshadow to take control of him again. "Help me!"

"Lillie, I need you right now!" Mallow urged her to go help her. Stakataka was getting closer.

"Please, Lillie! I don't want that evil ghost back in me. Please!" Sun begged her, more tears dropped to the ground. The shadow from behind was almost to him.

Lillie's switched back and forth to her two friends in immediate danger. She hated making decisions. Whichever choice she made would affect her relationship with the one she didn't help.

On one hand, Mallow could potentially never see the light again. Stakataka weights can easily squash her entire body. Mallow was one of Lillie's good friends. Arguments aside, she couldn't imagine her life without her green haired friend. There was a downside. Lillie wasn't positive if she could even get the rock off of her. She was physically strong to do any heavy lifting.

On the other hand, this could be the last time Lillie ever saw the real Sun. He was no doubt her best friend from the start. Without Sun, her life would be different. He made a big impact in her world, it wouldn't be fair to Sun if she just threw all of that out the window. Especially after everything he had done for her. The issue in his case was that he wouldn't receive his fatal demise. He'd just go back to being possessed. However, there was a chance that his mental state would never be recovered again.

After three seconds of rushed thinking, Lillie made her choice. She bolted to the individual that would be getting her assistance.

"Don't worry! I'll help you…"

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Author's Note: Left it off at a cliffhanger. Hope you all aren't too mad about it. If any of you are still confused of anything in the story feel free to send a PM. I know this can be a bit confusing to follow but bare with me until the end. The next chapter will be the aftermath and might follow with the next episode of the anime. If not then the chapter after that. Then it'll be the Necrozma arc which I'll be watching episode eighty seven of the anime later today. I don't have a specific date in mind for the next release but I will say it'll be in this week. Stay tuned!**_


	19. Lillie's New Goal

_**Author's Note: This is the last of the frequent updates. One chapter a week will be my main schedule from now on unless I can find enough time to make two. Also, I'll be editing my chapters some more. I do all of this on mobile so there's bound to be a lot of mistakes. This chapter mainly focuses on Lillie, which I've been doing quite a few of. Next chapter will have the spotlight on someone else. Enjoy the chapter.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

"...Mallow!!!" In the end, Lillie chose to save her teammate, Mallow. She couldn't live with herself knowing that her friend will be in critical condition and she had a chance to prevent it. They could always find Sun again. Whenever there was another Ultra Beast sighting, she'll be the first one there. She was going to never leave his side once he is rescued as an apology for not saving him today. Never ever.

"Lil-lillie! W-why!?" Sun voiced echoed in her mind as she kept running to Mallow. The crack in his voice made her heart clench. She let him down. The betrayal in his tone was what gave it away from her. Lillie had to cover her ears with her hands when Sun let out a blood curdling scream.

"Don't look back! Don't look back!" Lillie told herself. She felt the tears overflow the corner of her eyes as she continued her trek to Mallow. "M-mallow! I'm here!"

Mallow gave her a grateful smile. "T-thank you, Lillie! N-now you got to-"

"We're here, Mallow!" Ash and Kiawe came into view. "Hurry, Kiawe!" The two Ultra Guardians used their strength to push the boulder. It was enough for Mallow to slip her foot free.

Mallow attempted to stand up but couldn't put too much on her bad foot. "Ash, help!" The rampaging Stakataka was only a few feet away.

"I got you!" Ash picked her up and carried her to the sidelines. Kiawe followed them until he noticed that they were missing one Ultra Guardian.

"Lillie?" Kiawe called out to her, confused as to why she was still standing there. "We got to go!"

Lillie didn't budge. She was staring at something. Kiawe turned to see what she was looking at.

"Oh no." Kiawe watched as a now repossessed Sun was leaning back against a tree stump. There were cuts and bruises all over his body. Splitters were visible on his arms. His body was getting all twitchy, like if someone was getting electrocuted. Sun snapped his head forehead and grinned evilly at the quivering Lillie.

"No! No!" Lillie fell to her knees. "I-I… I could've saved you!" She clutched her chest tightly. "Sun!!!" Lillie screamed out his name and sobbed on the ground wistfully.

If she had gone to go save Sun then he would've been okay. Mallow was going to be saved by Kiawe and Ash regardless. Lillie made the wrong decision. A decision she was going to regret her entire life.

"We don't have time for this." Kiawe picked her up and placed her over his shoulder. He sprinted to the area that everyone retreated to. Lillie lifted her head up and saw Sun walking slowly to Stakataka. The dark aura surrounding him was stronger than before. He stood in front of Stakataka and put his hand out forward. The Ultra Beast froze and instantly reverted back into its previous state. Sun looked around and found a Beast Ball on the ground. It had fallen out of someone's hands during Stakataka's attacks. Lillie already knew what was going to happen so she closes her eyes, not wanting to see more.

Kiawe finally made it back to where they left their ride pokémon and put Lillie on the ground. Ash was talking to Wicke on the hologram. Kiawe tuned in to what they were discussing.

"It's too dangerous, Ultra Guardians. The dark energy here is through the roof! You all have to come back to base immediately! It's not safe!" Wicke said, distress present in her voice.

"But the Ultra Beast!" Ash protested. He didn't want to fail another mission.

"That is an order!" Ash sighed and reluctantly agreed. He helped Mallow up her Flygon. Kiawe, Sophocles, and Lana boarded their ride pokémon and were ready to go.

"Lillie!" To their shock, Lillie refused to get on her Altaria.

"We have to go back for Sun!" She pleaded. Kiawe gasped, realizing that he had forgotten something, or rather someone important during the commotion.

"Turtonator! I'm coming for you!" The last time he saw Turtonator, he was on Stakataka during its riot. "You guys get Lillie on her Altaria, I'll meet you at the base." He ignored their protests and hurried over to where Stakataka was going berserk.

With his quick agility, Kiawe arrived there in a minute flat. There, he eyed Sun, terrified. He was standing over the injured Turtonator. A poké ball was in his left hand and a Beast Ball on his right.

' _He must've gotten Stakataka!'_ Kiawe confirmed this since Stakataka was nowhere in sight. _'He isn't going to lay a finger on Turtonator!'_

"Sun! Get away from my Turtonator!" Kiawe yelled, threatening him with his fist. He blinked for one second and found Sun standing right in front of him. Kiawe reeled back. Speed was never one of Sun's strong suits. Now Sun is faster than he ever imagine.

 _'T-this feeling!'_ Kiawe unconsciously hugged his body. The dark aura around Sun was spreading everywhere. 'This is what Wicke was warning us about!' It wasn't safe for him to walk out of anymore. He doomed himself so he could rescue his pokémon.

"Kiawe…" Sun's strange raspy voice called out to him. "You and your friends are going to pay for what you all have done. Humiliating me with my weak team." He took a step forward, the dark aura made Kiawe step back. "We'll be back. Stronger than ever. It'll be sooner than you think. For now…" The possessed Sun suddenly disappeared into thin air.

"Huh?" Kiawe blinked, perplexed by what occurred. A heavy force hit th e back of his head, sending him to the ground. Kiawe groaned as someone's foot was pressing against the back of his skull.

"Enjoy what you have right now. They'll all be taken from you soon." The pressure went away and so did Sun and his team.

Kiawe heard heavy footsteps coming for him. Turtonator came to check up on his trainer. The possessed Sun didn't do anything to him, much to Kiawe's relief. Kiawe slowly sat up and clutched his head in an effort to soothe his pain.

"Wait. Is that…?" Near the trees where Sun was thrown into, there were several shiny z-crystal's along with a z-power ring. "Turtonator, can you get those for me?" Turtonator nodded. Turtonator came back and gave Kiawe the items.

Kiawe inspected the items immediately. "Icium Z, Steelium Z, Ghostium Z, Farium Z, and the Decidium Z." There was something wrong here. All the possessed Sun cared about was power! No way would he have dropped this on purpose. He even left his gold z-power ring here too. Kiawe thought about what Lillie said.

 _'I-I… I could've saved you!'_

The real Sun must have gotten in control again, otherwise Lillie wouldn't have needed to try and save him. Though, why did she go to where Mallow was instead? These were all questions Kiawe had to think about at a later time. Right now, he had to go to base so he won't make anyone worry.

Kiawe and Turtonator headed back to where Charizard and Marowak was with Sun's items.

 _ **At the Aether Paradise...**_

Lusamine awoke from her chair with a gasp. She didn't mean to fall asleep so abruptly. Especially during Ultra Guardian briefing.

"Good to see you awake, president." Wicke spoke softly. Something was bothering her and her body movement showed it.

"Wicke?" Lusamine straightened up to look more presentable. She used her hands to make her bed hair go flat. "What's going on?"

Wicke crossed her arms and gazed down at the floor. "The Ultra Guardians… they didn't complete their mission," She informed her sadly.

Lusamine gaped at her. "What!? Again? I had full faith that they'd be able to do it," The blonde haired woman sighed and rolled her head back. "What was it this time?"

"That's the thing. I don't know?" She admitted. "It was some kind of dark energy but I couldn't identify it," Just then, Professor Burnet came inside the room.

"The Ultra Guardians have arrived to base." The professor went over to the desk panel. "I'll set up the transmitter right now!" Professor Burnet and Lusamine were clueless of what events transpired.

Wicke gulped nervously. Whatever that dark energy was surely was caught by the Ultra Beasts. They can explain what being was capable of so much dark power. It mysteriously diminished on the radar and didn't leave any traces of it.

"Ah! Clefable says its ready." Professor Burnet sauntered over to Lusamine's right left side while Wicke took her right. Lusamine scooted her chair in a bit closer to perfect her posture.

The screen flashed on, revealing the Ultra Guardians. What made Lusamine stand up was the sight of Lillie on the floor crying. Sophocles and Lana were doing their best to comfort her. Ash was helping Mallow stand up by letting her lean on to him. He hid his flustered state in favor of the seriousness that today had brought upon them as a team.

"Ultra Guardians! What happened!?" Lusamine asked louder than she intended to be. Seeing her daughter bawling her eyes out was enough for her to be upset.

Kiawe came into view. He was swinging a z-power ring on his wrist and jingled some z crystals in his other hand.

"Sun… Sun is what happened." Kiawe set the items down on a table. "He was the one who took Stakataka from the school grounds."

Wicke blanched. _'It was him? I thought he was still in the Ultra Wormhole. Unless… my theory on Sun not being in one is true.'_ She thought as Lusamine spoke to Kiawe.

"How? Stakataka is supposed to be the heaviest rock-type out there!" A kid like Sun didn't have that type of strength. No human did.

"I'm not exactly sure." Kiawe recalled first stumbling upon Stakataka. Electabuzz and Aerodactyl were there with it. Those two pokémon couldn't be the culprits. That left the two Ultra Beasts. "But it may be because of Blacephalon and Xurkitree."

"And what of Stakataka!?" It sounded more like a demand than a question. Stress was building in Lusamine. She already had enough on her plate as it is.

Kiawe averted his eyes from her. "He… may have caught Stakataka, too." He regretted telling the truth when Lusamine loudly banged her forehead on her desk.

While Professor Burnet tended to Lusamine, Wicke took over the conversation. "The dark energy, did someone at least get a peek at what is was?"

"Yeah…" Kiawe was getting more anxious by the second. The truth did really hurt. "It was… Sun." He paused before continuing on. No point on delaying the answer.

"S-sun!?" Wicke screeched. She fainted. The fact that a kid was capable of such dark power was too much for her to handle.

Lillie's sobs grew louder, causing Lusamine to snap out of it. "Lillie, dear! What's wrong?" She had the urge to go and hug her daughter but she couldn't do that. They were simply too far apart for her to get there right now.

Kiawe scratched his head awkwardly. "You're going to have to ask her yourself. Even I don't fully know what happened."

"Then everyone here but Lillie is dismissed," Lusamine announced. "Professor, go take Wicke to her living quarters. I'm going to talk with my daughter one on one." Professor Burnet and the five Ultra Guardians understood and proceeded to go.

"We're taking you to go get your foot checked on," Ash told Mallow. Kiawe, Sophocles, and Lana nodded.

Mallow smiled. "Thanks guys. You mind helping me on the way there, Ash?" Mallow asked. Tsareena would be a good choice but she wanted Ash to help her instead.

"No problem!" Ash answered. With that, the five Ultra Guardians and their conscious pokémon went up the lift to the classroom. Lillie was still on the floor crying. She didn't showing any signs of stopping. She curled up into a ball and croaked out Sun's name repeatedly.

Lusamine gritted her teeth. "I wish I could be there. If only if I wasn't president then this wouldn't be an issue. I get why Lillie was so upset at me for focusing too much on work." Having been sleeping during her duties was bad enough. Missing out even more hours to go to Melemele Island to be there for her daughter was something the Aether Foundation couldn't afford this moment.

 _'She really cares about that boy.'_ Lusamine noted in her head. Lillie was crying over Sun. Apparently, this wasn't the first time that this happened. When Sun left Alola, Lillie was a mess. Gladion filled her in on how Lillie spent weeks crying over it. Lusamine certainly hoped this wouldn't occur again.

"Lillie? Speak to me." Lusamine tried to get her attention but failed. This was going to be more harder than she initially thought. "Huh?" Lusamine watched as her Clefable walked over to Lillie to lend a shoulder to cry on. Lillie buried her face on Clefable's side while the fairy-type pokémon patted her back soothingly.

Lusamine frowned. _'That she be me there for her instead.'_ Her work preventing her to be there for her family was frustrating.

Clefable saw her trainer getting angry so she sat on the floor. She brought Lillie down with her and rested the girl's head on her arm. Clefable tilted Lillie's face to where the hologram was so Lusamine could at least gain some eye contact with her daughter.

"Thank you, Clefable." The Aether Foundation president thanked her pokémon. "Now Lillie-"

"It's Sun!" Lillie interjected, getting straight to the point. She desired to pour out her emotions to her mother. Clefable managed to break her out of her daze when she came to Lillie's aid.

"Sun… I could've saved him, mother! I really could have! He wasn't possessed by Marshadow anymore but I let him get possessed again!" Lillie cried out. She resumed to finding comfort with Clefable and hugged her tightly.

"How did you let him get possessed again?" Lusamine inquired curiously.

Lillie sniffled, "Mallow and Sun were both in trouble. I thought I was the only one who could save one of them. I chose Mallow but by the time I got there, Ash and Kiawe came too and saved Mallow," She replied quickly, not breathing during her explanation. "I should've chose Sun instead! Then he'd be right here… with me," Lillie finished, breathing heavily.

"Now, Lillie," Lusamine said in a stern tone. "You shouldn't talk like that. What if Mallow wasn't saved by Ash and Kiawe. Would you still save her?" The way Lillie made it out sounded like she'd have rather left Mallow in the dust.

"Y-yes," Lillie hiccuped. "I saved Mallow because there would still be a chance to break Sun out of the possession. If I had saved Sun then Mallow would have been squashed!" She explained her reasoning to her mother. "B-but I want Sun with me more now. Does that make me an awful person?" Truth be told, if she were sent back in time, Lillie would be rushing over to Sun in a snap.

Lusamine smiled softly. "No, it doesn't. It's just your heart reminding you of who you care about the most." There was no teasing intended this time around.

M-mother!" Lillie narrowed her eyes at her mother. She believed this to be another one of her teasing moments.

"I'm being completely serious here, Lillie," Lusamine responded with a straight face to show she didn't mean any funny business. "Sometimes, when you care about a person a lot, it means they hold a special place in your heart. A place that is irreplaceable. You want to be with that person as much as possible and you're willing to do anything for them. Do you understand where I'm going with this, Lillie?" The blonde haired woman knew exactly what was going on with her daughter. Though, Lillie usually brushed it off whenever she brought up the topic.

As for Lillie now, she didn't reply. Lillie placed a hand over her heart and rested her head on Clefable's lap. She felt her heart beating wildly and decided to let it go on for a while.

"Don't be sad, Lillie. Your decision wasn't terrible. I bet you and Mallow might get closer because of it. She did see you try to save her, right?"

 _'That's right. Mallow was the one to call me and smiled when I came.'_ This stunt can be the leading factor into ending their rising tension. Then there'll be no more fights between the two.

"All hope isn't lost. Sun's out there somewhere and I promise you that the next time we see him, we'll free him for good." It was a stretch but Lusamine was positive that she, Wicke, Burnet, and the Ultra Guardians can get Marshadow out of his body. The promise did lighten Lillie's mood just a smidge.

"And I'm sure Sun understood your decision to save Mallow."

Lillie deflated, remembering the sadness in Sun's voice when she ran to Mallow. It didn't sound like he understood at all. It would be impossible for her to even confront him about it if they rescue him.

 _'No! No ifs! Mother promised!'_ Lillie fully believed in her mother's words. Lusamine was a changed woman after the Nihilego incident.

"I mean, why else would he leave those behind." Lusamine pointed to the table where Kiawe left Sun's z-power ring and z-crystals. "A trainer will never leave things as important as those without a purpose." Lusamine's heart warmed when Lillie smiled and jumped to the table. Her Lillie wasn't so down in the dumps anymore.

"It's Sun's z-power ring and the z-crystals that go along with it!" Lillie exclaimed joyfully. Her mother was right. No trainer would leave these behind. Not even Sun. He always wore it every time Lillie saw him. Sun also always carried a small pouch for his z-crystals in his pocket. There had to be a reason as to why he did this.

 _'Could it be that Sun left these for me to find? No! Someone brought it here. Though, they could've found it where the real Sun was. I was the last person he saw… I want to believe he intended for me fo find these but I don't have any evidence to back it up.'_ Lillie reprimanded herself for even thinking such thoughts. Sun probably hated her after she let him get possessed by Marshadow. Didn't he know that Mallow was in trouble to? Why would he force her to make a decision.

 _'Unless he didn't even see her!'_ Lillie came up with a conclusion. The distance between Sun and Mallow were pretty far as it was. That's why she couldn't save one and run back to go save the other. Her only option was to pick one. Getting slammed through all of those trees most likely rattled his head. So much that it would mess with his vision. He was pretty battered up even before the tree snapping.

 _'He couldn't see from far away. Only me. I wonder what he might of said if he saw Mallow, too.'_ The bad blood between the two was awful. Knowing the selfless person that Sun was, he probably would've yelled at her to go save Mallow. He'd take a hit for a good cause. An example of that was training with his pokémon. Although she didn't agree with his methods, she found it very heartwarming to witness Sun putting his body on the line to either help his pokémon get stronger or learn a new move.

Of course, she didn't know whether any of this was true. She'd only discover the truth once Sun tells her in person.

 _'The real Sun must have left this so that evil Marshadow can't have its hands on it. It's strong enough to fulfill its hunger to be stronger.'_ Either way, she concluded that Sun hid these away from Marshadow. Then one of her teammates noticed it and took it with them. Lillie looked back to her mother for any insight that she had for her.

"I believe that you will take good care of it in the meantime. Remember, you'll have to give it back to Sun later." Lusamine was basically giving her full permission to use someone else's z-power ring. "Trust me Lillie, if there's anyone that Sun would lend it to, it'd be you."

"I-I… um…" Lillie's cheeks reddened. She wasn't sure if her mom was just saying that but if Sun trusted her with taking care of his pokémon then he'd trust her with anything else that he owned. With Decidueye joining them, they now had Sun's full team at disposal. However, she had to idea where Decidueye went. She assumed that he followed someone on the way up the lift.

"Just remember, you can't force them to do them. You have to gain their trust."

Lillie's smiled turned into a frown. "B-but none of them like me! How can I gain their trust?" It hurt her feeling when none of Sun's pokémon bothered to even listen to her. She's been with them every step of the way, well excluding Sun's absence in Alola. Instead, they listened to Moon.

Lusamine had a fast response for that. "Remind them. Remind them of who you truly are and how important you are to Sun. Then you'll fully gain their trust again." The Aether Foundation president figured that it wouldn't be too hard. The two had a lot of great memories together.

"I guess that might work." Lillie wasn't too convinced of her mother's solution. Though, Sun's Decidueye saved her for Electabuzz's Shockwave attack. That counted for something at least. Lillie shyly put the z-power ring on her wrist and inspected it.

"There you go! You look like a trainer ready for action!" Lusamine complimented.

"Mother!" Lillie giggled. She grabbed the five z-crystals and kept them in her hand. "Thanks mom. You always know how to cheer me up."

Lusamine's smile grew wider. "I am very glad to hear that, Lillie." Inside, she was overflowing with happiness. "I want you and the Ultra Guardians to relax for a day. Tapu knows how much you all have gone through as of late. I believe I have a wonderful solution for this." She walked to a nearby computer and searched up a website. "There's this place in Akala Island called the Pokémon Paradise Resort. I hear it's the most popular place to relax with your pokémon!"

Lillie gasped. "Oh! Our ride pokémon will enjoy that! Maybe this will be the chance to bond with Sun's pokémon too!"

If she were to use the z-move from Sun's pokémon, it could potentially be the biggest factor in defeating Sun's new team. From what she heard Kiawe say, Sun had three Ultra Beasts at his disposal now. Sun beat Xurkitree with his team without losing a pokémon. She knew all of their moves, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and even the dances that went with their z-moves. Watching Sun battle from the sidelines was really beneficial now. Although she wouldn't be as good of trainer as Sun, she'd be good enough to be effective in battle.

 _'Then we'll have the real Sun back.'_

"Excellent!" Lusamine clapped her hands together. "I just made a reservation for you six Ultra Guardians. Enjoy yourselves! Relax! Tomorrow is when you all we being going. There'll be a ship at the ferry port. It'll be departing straight to the resort at ten-o'clock sharp." The blonde haired woman returned back into view on the screen.

"Got it! I'll go tell the others! Goodbye mother!" She waved to her mother in a much better mood than before.

Lusamine giggled, "Goodbye, Lillie! We'll talk again soon!" The transmission ended on both sides.

"Right now, I got to go help Burnet with Wicke."

 _ **With Lillie...**_

Walking out of the Pokémon School with Snowy, Lillie started to make her way to the local hospital. Contrary to popular belief, there are hospitals for trainers. They don't usually go to the Pokémon Centers. Though, who did she need to tell this to anyway?

Professor Kukui told her that everyone headed there to get Mallow's foot checked on.

On the way, she came across a familiar face.

"Hey, blondie! How dare you!" Turning around, she saw Moon stomping towards her. She didn't appear pleased at all.

"Huh?" Lillie didn't expect to see Moon today. She never really knew where Moon hanged out anywho. The last time they met was during Mina's big pokémon reveal.

"You dumped all these pokémon with me!" Moon stepped aside. It was then that Lillie noticed that all of Sun's pokémon were with her, even Decidueye. "You left them with me that day I went to the stupid school!"

Lillie eyed her strangely. "But they like you-"

"I already have a full team to take care of!" Moon didn't let Lillie finish her sentence. She gestured to her bag where she stored her poké balls. "I can't take care of twelve! You only have one so you can take them!" Moon haughtily raised her chin up and pointed to Lillie. "Mush, I say! Mush!"

Decidueye glowered at Moon, not liking taking orders from someone other than Sun. He flapped his wings up to her and pecked her on the shoulder.

"Gah! Cut that out, feather brain!" Moon swatted Decidueye away with her hand. Decidueye huffed and landed next to Lillie. He tapped his talon on the ground and looked at his friends expectantly. The arrow quill pokémon squawked loudly when the others didn't move. He was taking up the role as the leader now that he returned.

Ninetales growled, annoyed. She eventually complied and went to Lillie's side. Vanilluxe, Glaceon, Froslass, and Sandslash followed. None of them were satisfied with the new arrangement.

"Hmph! That's better! I'm sorry you guys but I can't take care of all of you!" She apologized to the five pokémon. Decidueye rolled his eyes. Moon caught something out of the corner of her eye. "Wait a second! Isn't that Sunny's cool looking bracelet thing?" Moon never bothered to learn the name of the thing that was used to beat her in battle.

"O-oh! Yes," Lillie shyly replied. "It'll be better if I explain to you what happened today on the way to the hospital."

As they walked, Lillie told Moon everything that her and the Ultra Guardians went through. Staktaka, meeting with Sun again, Sun reverted back to normal, and hesitantly the final decision she had to make involving Sun and Mallow. Out of everyone, Lillie expected Moon to be the angriest considers how… how she's close with him.

"I guess I don't blame ya. If it were me though, I'd have chosen Sunny since I don't know green that well," Moon said thoughtfully.

"Wait. You're not mad?" Lillie squeaked.

Moon looked at her, offended. "No. Why would I be? I'm not always a hot head! Unless you want me to be," She threatened, clenching her fist.

"N-no!" Lillie quickened her pace.

"Look," Moon sighed "I get it. It was a hard decision to make. I don't blame ya for being so overwhelmed by it. Green could've been crushed like a pancake. We can always find Sun again at some point. I think ya made the right decision but remember how this will affect Sun." Moon did an explosion with her hands above her head.

Lillie's eyes flared with determination. "That's why I'll do everything I can to save Sun from that evil Marshadow! Then I'll be there every step of the way to help him recover!" She spoke with such passion that made Moon frown sourly.

 _'He does need all the help he can get… but I envisioned it to just be mostly me.'_ Moon gave Lillie the stink eye when she wasn't paying attention to her. _'She makes it sound like it'd be just her. I'm strong too! Nearly as strong as Sun. Maybe giving her his pokémon back wasn't such a good idea.'_

Moon could've had twelve powerful pokémon with her. The rules didn't really matter to her. Six pokémon on a team at a time? Forget about it. Technically they weren't her pokémon so the rules were ineffective in a way.

Pulling a Sun, Moon smoothly put on her best charming smile. "Say Lillie, I changed my mind. I'll take these loving pokémon off of your hands." Ninetales howled, elated by the change. Froslass and Vanilluxe twirled around in the sky. Sandslash clapped his claws together. Decidueye flew up and started to peck Moon on her hat. "Hey! Shoo birdie! You can stay with blondie!"

Lillie felt a strange wave of nostalgia hit her. Moon's nickname for her was the same on Sun gave her during the beginning of his return to Alola.

"But I thought you couldn't since you already have a full team." Lillie didn't get why Moon suddenly changed her mind. The blonde haired girl clutched the gold z-power ring to her chest possessively. Without Sun's pokémon, there was no use in having the z-power ring and z-crystals.

"I know what I said! Fork 'em over, now!" Moon growled aggressively. She wasn't afraid to get physical. Sun knew that better than anyone.

"No." Lillie stood her ground. She faced Ultra Beasts scarier than Moon. She wasn't going to give up her chance to ensure Sun's freedom so easily.

"What did you just say!?" Moon snarled, getting up in her face. "I'm not asking twice, blondie! They love me, not you! They're better off with me so give 'em here!"

"No!" Lillie repeated more assertively. "My mother says when you care a lot about a person, it means that they hold a special place in your heart and you'll do anything for them. That's what I'm planning to do with Sun!" She didn't realize at the time that she accidentally poured out her true feelings. It was said in the heat of the moment.

Moon's eyes widened before they angrily turned red. "Why you-" A heavy blow to her head knocked her out instantly. The culprit? It was none other than-

"Decidueye! Why'd you do that!?" Lillie panicked. Dealing with unconscious people wasn't something she prepared for. Decidueye kicked her head with his talons, believing that a scuffle would've broken out in favor of Moon.

Ninetales let out a viscous howl and lunged at Decidueye. The fox pokémon froze in mid-air when Snowy's head poked out from behind Lillie's head. Snowy cooed innocently and bopped her nose on Moon's head.

Decidueye smirked triumphantly as Ninetales landed back on the ground and stopped her attack. Ninetales didn't want to send a bad example.

"We can't just leave her here." Lillie frowned. "Can one of you carry her?" The pokémon ignored her at first but Ninetales gave in said something to Froslass. Ninetales crouched down while Froslass used her arms to pick up Moon and placed her on Ninetales' back.

"Perfect!" Lillie smiled. This was a start. She was going to have to find out why they were so hostile to her. They all listen to Decidueye and he listens to her. Lillie needed to use this to her advantage. "Off to the hospital we go then!"

Lillie led Snowy, Sun's pokémon, and the unconscious Moon to the hospital. The talk of battling was an interesting one to say the least. Sun tried to teach her once but the results were catastrophic.

Sun lent her his Sandshrew while he used his Rowlet. It was around the time when Sun beat Hala after failing the first time but succeeding the next. Sun taught her what moves Sandshrew was capable, which were Scratch and Ice Ball. Lillie remembered how easily Sun overpowered her and Sandshrew with his Rowlet. They came to an agreement to stop for now and pick up on the idea another day.

Lillie recalled that she was disappointed on how poorly she battled. It wasn't fair for Sandshrew. From then on, she carefully observed every one of Sun's battles. She even went to Hau during his battles to see the difference in their styles. Hau was carefree outside of battles but during them… that was a different story. He acted so seriously which was unlike him. Regardless of the outcome of the battle, Hau was showed good sportsmanship and returned back to his fun loving self.

 _'Hau's still mad at me.'_ The day of the Fireworks Festival gave her some insight for Hau's disapproval of her. He didn't want Sun to leave again which was understandable. But there had to be some deeper meaning into it. She didn't get why he took it all out on her though.

Lillie spoke to herself during the walk. "...Froslass has the Cursed Body ability. Her moves are Ominous Wind, Shadow Ball, Powder Snow, and Draining Kiss. Sun caught her at Mount Lanakila." She recited the facts that she knew her head. "Ninetales. She uses Frost Breath, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, and Dazzling Gleam. She was also found at Mount Lanakila." There was a trend with all of Sun's ice-type pokémon. They were all caught at Mount Lanakila, which was why Sun trained there often.

Lillie gazed down at her own pokémon, Snowy, the Alolan Vulpix. When she first1 hatched out of her egg and revealed that she was an Alolan Vulpix, Lillie's mind instantly shifted to Sun. It turned into a day of forlorn feelings. Snowy reminded her so much of Sun's own Ninetales and she bet that everyone but Ash thought the same thing.

"I guess you must not understand everything that going on, huh?" Lillie picked up Snowy and hugged her. "Don't worry. We'll all be okay and then I can properly introduce you to Sun." Snowy tilted her slightly. A question mark appeared beside her. "Ehehe. I'll tell you later."

After a while, Lillie finally caught the sight of the hospital. Entering the building, she went to the front desk for directions. The receptionist told her that Mallow and the others were patient room twenty three A.

Opening the door, Lillie was met with the sight of Mallow with a cast on her right foot. She was shaking her right leg with a frown on her face. Kiawe noticed Lillie walk in and greeted her.

"Glad you made it, Lillie." Kiawe was glad that Lillie was in a better mood. The talk with her mother must have done the trick. "And you too… Moon?" His mind went blank, seeing Moon unconscious on top of Ninetales' back.

"Don't ask." Lillie wasn't sure how she'd explain the situation. "How's Mallow?"

Mallow spoke up for herself. "Doctor says I have to go easy for a month at least. The rock was pretty heavy." The green haired girl lay her back on the hospital bed and let out a frustrated sigh. "This stinks."

Lana shot Mallow a sympathetic look. "Will you still be able to go on mission?" She asked, hoping her guess wasn't true.

"I honestly don't know." Mallow shrugged. "I'll have to talk with Lillie's mother about it. Until then, I'm going to need some help. I'm not sure I can even help out around the restaurant. Dad can't do things by himself! Ugh!" She was advised by the doctor to use crutches to aid her with walking. This would be difficult to use while cooking.

Ash sat down next to her on the patient bed. "I may not be as good of a cook as you, Mallow. I'm far from it. I prefer being the one receiving the food then preparing," He chuckled heartily. "But I'll can do my best to help at your restaurant!"

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu was on board with the idea.

"That goes for all of us. As your friend we'll help you with any task that might be difficult for you," Kiawe declared. Lana, Sophocles, and even Lillie nodded.

Mallow scanned each and everyone one of their faces. They were really the best friends she can ask for. "Thanks, guys! I truly appreciate it!" She hugged the closest person beside her which happened to be Ash. It was out of happiness and gratitude. Ash was caught off guard but returned the gesture.

As she was embracing him, Mallow caught the shiny glimmer of an object on Lillie's right wrist. Upon further examination, she recognized the z-power ring but chose not to saying anything about it.

Although, Sophocles saw it too and wasn't shy to voice his amazement. "Woah! Isn't that Sun's z-power ring?! I recognize that gold one anywhere. It has that little sun sticker on the side anywhere!" The short boy pointed out the sticker of the sun. It started out as a prank by Sophocles himself but things went awry when Sun couldn't peel it out. It stayed there ever since.

Lana's eyes wandered to the z-power ring. "Now that you mention it, it does look familiar."

Kiawe jumped in, covering for Lillie. "I found it at the spot where Sun was thrown into all those trees. He crawled further than I expected. I think he was trying to give it to someone or at the very least trying to hide it. Sun didn't retrieve it," He explained thoroughly

Kiawe continued, "With someone as power hungry as the possessed Sun, it just doesn't make any sense why he'd do such a thing. It came with all his z-crystals. I brought it with me and left it on a table at the base," Kiawe finished. He turned to Lillie, expecting an explanation from her too.

"Erm…" Lillie tugged her right arm awkwardly. "I just figured with Sun's pokémon here, the z-power ring and z-crystals too…" Lillie's cheeks turned red and she stared down at the floor. "...I thought that I can… use them." She dared to not look at any of her friends. Her fear of them rejecting the idea was getting to her.

Ash was the first to talk. "Are you even allowed to do that?" He was met with a smack to the back of the head by Mallow.

"Shh! Let her do what she wants!" Mallow hissed. She turned to Lillie apologetically. "You'll have to excuse Ash. He's doesn't know most of the things revolving around Sun." Mallow ignored the flabbergasted expression of one Ash Ketchum.

"That is so not my f-"

"In any case of scenario," Mallow interjected, much to Ash's dismay. "You know Sun's battle style the best."

"I suppose you have a point," Ash grumbled.

"And…" Mallow elbowed his side. "I just want to say thanks for trying to save me, Lillie. It must have been hard trying to choose between Sun and I."

Lillie flinched. She was hoping she wouldn't bring that up. By saying that, it also caused a wave of questions.

Mallow went on, "I didn't realize Sun was also in danger until you came running to me. You sorta blocked the way. No offense." She didn't want Lillie to think that she was calling her fat. To her surprise, Lillie looked overjoyed.

"So Sun did leave these for one of us to find!" If Mallow couldn't see Sun then there was a high chance of Sun not seeing Mallow either. A huge wave of relief surged in her.

"I got one question though." Mallow had a serious expression on her face. "Why'd you chose me over Sun?" A pang of guilt hit her. If she hadn't chosen her then Sun would've been saved by Lillie. Lillie coming to her was a waste as Ash and Kiawe came to her rescue too. However, it did make her happy that Lillie chose to save her. If Mallow were in her shoes, she wasn't sure if she could make a decision like that in so little time.

"We have other chances of freeing Sun from Marshadow. You only had one chance. If no one was there then you wouldn't even be here." The revelation struck everyone hard, knowing that Lillie was right. "Plus, we'll definitely save Sun the next time we see him! With Sun's pokémon, I'll find a way to stop him!" Lillie exclaimed passionately.

"Right!" Ash grinned. "We're the Ultra Guardians! We can add saving people to our résumè too!" He was on board with the plan. He needed to train harder so he can defeat Sun. The events of earlier was a wake up call. He wasn't able to stop Sun's two Ultra Beasts. His Rowlet and Torracat were knocked down. Pikachu and Lycanroc didn't have much longer either. What he craved was a strategic battle plan that was guaranteed to stop his Ultra Beasts.

"Yeah!" Sophocles, Mallow, and Kiawe agreed. One person was missing from their conversation.

"Hehe…" Lana snickered manically. She was drawing some scribbly lines on Moon's face with a marker. Payback was sweet.

"Lana!" The Ultra Guardians cried out. Lana stopped what she was doing and hid the marker behind her back.

"I mean… Ult-roger!" Lana smiled nervously.

"Thank you guys! Now that we're all on the same page there's nothing stopping us!" Lillie thanked them gleefully. There was no heated rivalry between her and Mallow. Also whatever was going on with Lana was gone too. Sun's freedom was inching closer than before.

"We should all go training together tomorrow! We'll be better prepared for Sun and his three Ultra Beasts!" Ash proposed. None objected other than Lillie.

"Actually. My mother reserved us a spot to the Pokémon Paradise Resort tomorrow. It'd be rude of us to not go." Lillie needed this tomorrow. A day of relaxation was what the doctor ordered.

"The what?" Ash's eyes turned into dots. The name was straightforward as it is but Ash wanted some more clarification.

Sophocles piped up, "Oh! I know that place! It's a resort where you and your pokémon can go and relax. It's really hard to get reservations there." His smile wavered considerably. "Sun told that he was going to invite all of us to go with him there after his final trial. It was going to be a secret." This new information caused the atmosphere to grow tense. "Someone like Sun would have no trouble getting a reservation. The people here go nuts for him."

Ash was mildly astonished that one of his friends was so famous. "I'm sure Sun would want us to go have fun. I bet he'd let us get an earful if all we did was worry and worry about him. I may not know him as well as the rest of you but I've known Sun long enough to know he's a pretty humble person." Ash reasoned with his friends.

"You do have a point," Sophocles replied with a dry chuckle. "One time, we were suppose to go to a food festival but then Sun got sick. He wanted me to go by myself. He hated that he was about to hold me back from fun. I tell you, I enjoyed all the different types of good they had there." He licked his lips, reimagining the taste again.

"It'll feel a bit weird but I'm in," Kiawe said after taking some time to think about. "We can all train together afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan." Ash and Pikachu high-fived. This resort was a big deal and they couldn't wait to see what it had in store for them.

"I won't be able to do some things that they offer there but I think there's enough activities that'll keep us busy. Right, Tsareena?" With Mallow's right foot being injured, it left her in a tight spot. Tsareena nodded.

"Let's do it then!" Sophocles beamed. His sadness vanishing.

"Woohoo," Was all Lana said.

"What about Moon?" Ash pointed out the unconscious girl. "She can really help us during our mission to save Sun. Even Hau, too!" Moon was strong considering that she made it to the semifinals of the Indigo League tournament. Ash never saw Hau battle before but based on what Sun said, he's a formidable opponent not to be messed with. His team proved that by looks alone.

Lillie didn't like the idea of those two coming. Hau was still mad at her and she didn't want that ruining the trip. Moon was peeved as well and she usually didn't suit well with others.

"Well…" Lillie started. "Mother only has reservations for us, the Ultra Guardians. They aren't included with us, unfortunately." She faked her disappointment.

"Aw man." Ash snapped his fingers. "That's a bummer. We can still ask them to help us out with Sun though."

"Sure," Lillie responded, uninterested.

Mallow grabbed her crutches and stood up. "Our day for tomorrow has been planned. I got to head back to the restaurant. I hope my dad doesn't go to overboard when he sees me with a broken right foot." She can picture it in her mind. Her father spilling everything to the floor and running up to check on her.

"I can help!" Ash offered his services. He said he was going to assist Mallow any way he can and he wasn't going to back down from.his word.

"Thanks!" Mallow smiled brightly, unknowingly causing Ash to get flustered. "Let's go on then." With that, Ash, Pikachu, Poipole, Mallow, and Tsareena exited the patient room.

"I'm a bit hungry. I think I'll head over to the Malasada Store and grab a bite," Kiawe said, rubbing his stomach.

Sophocles' eyes sparkled. "I'll go with you too! Bye, guys!" The two bid Lillie and Lana goodbye before they left the room.

Lana sighed, looking over at the unconscious Moon. "This is going to be no fun. I'll give Ninetales back to you after I take her back home." It still bothered Lana that Moon was crashing at her place. Trust was a big issue between them. "See ya." Lana walked out of the door with Ninetales, Popplio, and Moon.

Lillie switched her attention to all of the remaining pokémon. "We'll be staying at the mansion. I'm sure you all remember it." Decidueye was the only who who confirmed it. Glaceon, Vanilluxe, Froslass, and Sandslash were huddled up in the corner.

"Can I tell you something?" Lillie asked Decidueye. The arrow quill pokémon nodded. "Lately, I've been trying to be like Sun. Not personality wise but more so like the trainer he is. I want to be strong like strong. Though…" Lillie sweatdropped. "I can't even throw a poké ball properly. Do you think I can be just as good as Sun?" The blonde haired girl awaited for an answer.

Decidueye thought about it for a minute before nodding his head again. It mimicked the general way of throwing a poké and then pointed at himself.

"You want me to catch you!?" Lillie screeched. "I can't! Your Sun's pokémon!" To her relief, Decidueye shook his head. "Do you want to help me?" Decidueye squawked affirmatively.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Decidueye's eye twitched when Lillie hugged it. He pecked Lillie's head. "O-ow! Alright, you hate being hugged!" Lillie whined. "But you used to love it back when you were a Rowlet!"

Decidueye's only response came in the form of more pecking.

 _ **At the mansion...**_

"Hmph!" Lillie grunted as she threw the umpteenth pink ball at the target that she owned. She couldn't afford so many real poké balls so she resorted into using balls. The only ones she had were pink. Her mission was to strike the ball right in the center of the target. So far, she wasn't having any luck.

Lillie's confidence further fell apart when Sun's pokémon, minus Decidueye, were laughing at her failed attempts. Her face deepened its shade of red. She was humiliated by pokémon!

"I should just give up. I'll never be like Sun no matter how hard I try." Lillie's eyes were droopy. It was plain reality. It was baffling that she even thought about being as good of a trainer as Sun. Her original plan was to impress him with her skills since he really enjoyed battling more than anything… anything except his friends and family. If she couldn't even catch toss a poké ball then what chance does she even have?

Decidueye scoffed, disappointed that she was giving up so easily. He decided to show her how it was done. Raising his wing, Decidueye put his arrow in place. The usual flames were missing. He shot the arrow forward, hitting the bullseye point blank in the center.

Lillie gasped, "Amazing. Maybe I can do that to…" An idea suddenly popped up. Lillie sprung to her feet and bolted inside the mansion. A few minutes later, she came back with a decent wooden bow in her hands.

"Mom wanted Gladion to take up archery once. He hated it so he hid it inside the vent and told mother that he lost it," Lillie giggled, remembering the scene. "May I have one of your arrow quills?" She requested cheekily.

Decidueye handed her an arrow quill. Lillie plucked in one of the pink balls inside it. She was by no means, a good archer. This was her first time. It would be understandable if she didn't get it right the first time.

"So if I do this…" Lillie sloppily put the arrow in her bow and gripped on the string. "Then let go." She released the hold, sending the arrow flying into the area closest to the out circle. It was a good first try.

"This might harm the pokémon more than I should. It needs some modifications!" Lillie headed over to a table and grabbed a piece of paper. She sat on one of the chairs and got straight to work.

Snowy jumped up on the table and observed Lillie, intrigued. Decidueye perched on one of the chairs and closed his eyes, mediating with the peaceful silence of the area. Hobbes grinned, watching over them in amusement.

"I can make this work. I'll be one step closer to becoming a strong pokémon trainer." Lillie gently closed her eyes and smiled warmly.

"For you, Sun."

 **xxxxx**

 _ **Second Author's Note: The arrow idea I'm experimenting with is a reference to the Manga since Moon uses a bow and arrow too. Though that's mainly to retrieve things that are out of reach. Next chapter is episode eighty six of the anime. Then its Necrozma! I'm already hyped for episode eighty eighty so I'm looking forward to doing these next couple of chapters. As said above, new chapter next week. Stay tuned.**_


	20. Paradise Pandemonium

**_Author's Note: Update took nearly a month. Sorry 'bout that. As a consolation, here a long chapter, my longest one in the story now. Thanks for ten thousand views! That's huge and you all have no idea how happy that makes me. Also, thanks for the kind reviews! They always make me smile. The new art for the next season of Sun and Moon is very interesting. Hau's already in this story and now he's in the anime too. I wonder how they'll incorporate his character. Maybe give him some background with Lillie? I gave a Primarina instead to balance out between him, Sun, and Ash (Incineroar hopefully). Shame there's no Sun or Moon though. Anyway, I won't babble on much longer until the second A/N so enjoy the chapter._**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

Mallow was on her way to the professor's house with the help of Kiawe. She hadn't gotten adjusted to the new arrangement so she still required help. They arrived at the house and knocked on the door.

"Hmm?" Professor Kukui answered the door with his usual attire. "Alola, Mallow and Kiawe! Ash is still up in the loft packing."

Kiawe rolled his eyes, amused. "You would think that Ash would have packed when he got back home yesterday."

"That's Ash for you," Mallow giggled. "May we come in, professor?" She asked politely.

Professor Kukui fully opened the door and gestured them inside. "Be my guest."

The two students stepped inside and were greeted by the sight of Ash packing his belongings in his backpack.

Grinning, Kiawe called out to him, "Ash! Hurry it up!" Ash flinched at the unexpected voice. He turned around and sweatdropped.

"Why are you just now packing?" Mallow narrowed her eyes slightly. "Kiawe and I prepared yesterday evening. Just what were you doing?" Kiawe showed Ash the two handbags. He was carrying Mallow's for her.

"Pika. Pika…" Pikachu shook his head. He hopped down the loft and joined Kiawe and Mallow. Poipole twirled around the air happily and followed Pikachu down.

Ash awkwardly climbed down the ladder with his backpack. "I… well…"

Rotom decided to finish Ash's sentence for him. "He slept as soon as we got back! Bzzt!" Ash glared at the pokédex for spilling the beans.

"Ash!" Kiawe and Mallow groaned.

"Sorry!" Ash put his hands up in defense. "With everything that happened yesterday, can you blame me? Helping Mallow around the restaurant was a lot of hard work too!"

"You could've just said something Ash! If you're that overworked then take it easy," Mallow said.

Ash's face turned the slightest shade of pink. "I just wanted to help…" He shook his head and ran to the door. "I'll see you there! Bye!" Before Mallow and Kiawe could say another word, Ash was already gone from sight.

"Pika!" Pikachu was mildly upset on being left behind. Poipole shrugged and continued to hug Pikachu with its vice grip.

"What's his deal?" Mallow asked out loud.

"Who knows. He's been acting pretty weird these past few days," Kiawe responded. "Though, I don't blame him if it's because of this Sun business." Mallow stayed silent. Kiawe looked around the professor's house and spotted something up on the loft. "Hey! There's that Master Ball that Ash got from Sun!" He pointed to the safely tucked Master Ball on top of the bookcase. It was as shiny as ever.

"Oh yeah!" Mallow admired the rare poké ball. "Ash won that from the competition we had from school." She yearned for the simpler times that she and her friends had before Sun came. It was much more peaceful. Now, it was more chaotic and stressful. She ended up with a broken foot and the sudden possession of Sun. Mallow didn't put all the blame on Sun, more so on the evil Marshadow.

"Who do you think Ash is going to use it on?" Kiawe inquired.

"I don't know. Whoever it is, I'm sure it'll be strong."

 ** _Later..._**

Kiawe and Mallow made it to the edge of the Melemele Island port in no time. Mostly because they rode on Kiawe's Charizard. It was easier for Mallow. They saw the rest of their friends already there with their partners and ride pokémon too. Mallow was a bit confused as to why Sun's pokémon were with Lillie, but she chose to let it slide.

"Mallow! Kiawe! Alola!" Sophocles greeted them excitedly. The trip to the Pokémon Paradise Port had got him pumped. "We're all set now!"

The six students walked along the boards leading to the ship. Sophocles was in the front and smiled happily at the sight of the big ship.

"Hey! Look!" Sophocles stared at the ship in awe. "That's the ship that goes straight to the Pokémon Paradise Resort!" The others shared his enthusiasm as they caught up to him.

Lana petted her Dratini's chin. "I'm so excited! Aren't you, Dratini?" She giggled at her Dratini's content hum.

"Yeah! I'm excited too!" Sophocles agreed.

"It's pretty hard to get a reservation there," Mallow said, enjoying the calm atmosphere between the group of friends. It was a big boost from yesterday. Though, she frowned when she looked down at her leg.

If there was one thing Mallow liked, it was having a bit of independence when it came to things she excelled at. Cooking for instance. She learned the hard way how tough it can be to cook for an entire restaurant before. With her broken foot, people would be asking if she needed help left and right. Mallow was alright for the harder tasks such as traveling but yesterday proved to be irritating.

It was she came back to Aina's Kitchen. Ash and Kiawe insisted that they helped, which led to them doing just about everything. It irked her that she didn't really have much of a role at the restaurant anymore because of her broken foot. Mallow was going to have to improvise a solution.

Ash, who was marveling the ship, turned to Mallow. "Is it really that popular? The Pokémon whatchamacallit?" He had already forgotten the name of the place.

Kiawe switched his gaze over to him. "Oh, so you don't know?" Ash shook his head. Kiawe didn't get the chance to explain because of the loud horn the signaled that the ship was about to leave.

"We can't miss our ride!" Lillie cried out. Her mother wouldn't be pleased if they did. The six Ultra Guardians hurried over to the ship and grouped themselves on the deck. The ship took off.

"Grr…" Hiding behind a box of crates, one figure was hunched over. The figure was glaring at the six with fury. "You'll pay for this," The figure said from behind the crates.

"Would you like a refreshment?" A person dressed up in the usual sailor outfit asked the figure.

"Yes, please!" The figure dropped the act and gleefully took the drink. They yelped when a Pikachu jumped on the crate. The coast was clear when the Pikachu didn't notice them and hopped up on the top of the ship to get a better view of the ocean.

"Soon…" The figure concealed herself back behind the stack of crates.

Meanwhile, Sophocles was telling everyone what he knew of the Pokémon Paradise Resort from his prior knowledge.

"The Pokémon Paradise Resort is a spa for pokémon on Akala Island. They got hot springs." An image of Charjabug relaxing in the hot springs flashed through his mind. "A pool." Next was an image of his Togedemaru floating around in the pool. "A restaurant, and plenty of other facilities." Finally, was an image of him enjoying a meal. "It's a super popular spot! Customers come in from all around the world!" He finished, crossing his arms. He was impressed with himself with the knowledge of the resort.

Mallow added in, "They guarantee absolute satisfaction for any pokémon." Sophocles nodded at her input.

"Really?" Ash gasped with a star eyed expression. He could think of the many possibilities of having fun with his pokémon. Everyone needed this relaxation right now, including the pokémon.

Lillie alternated her attention on her Altaria and Sun's six pokémon. Snowy was in her arms too. "They've been getting sent out on missions a lot lately, so the ride pokémon must be exhausted as well. Mother said that they, and we, should get plenty of rest." The blonde haired girl remembered her conversation with her mother. It refreshed her mind significantly.

Ash looked over at Sun's pokémon, and then at Lillie. "Why did you bring Sun's pokémon along too? That's a lot of pokémon to be watching over." He expressed his concerns for his friend. Lillie only had Snowy at the start. Then it was Altaria. Now it was six more pokémon on top of that. "Couldn't you have left them with Moon?"

"No!" Lillie almost yelled. She blushed at the bewildered stares that she was receiving. "I mean, mother also said that I should gain their trust. Bringing them along will help me bond with them." Her plan just had to work. Even if it was just a smidge of trust.

Sophocles cut in, "Don't they already trust you? You did travel with them for months after all." He walked over to Ninetales and patted her on the head. She accepted it.

Lillie's confidence dwindled from seeing Sophocles being able to touch Sun's pokémon. They didn't even mind his presence. Sun's pokémon were treating him kindly.

"I don't know what could've happened. They just don't like me anymore," Lillie whined. "See." She tried to approach Ninetales but backed up when Ninetales growled at her. The other pokémon sent disapproving glares at Lillie, too. "Only Sun's Decidueye seems to like me."

To make her statement true, Decidueye flew above her and landed on her hat. He unintentionally hurt her with his sharp talons. Sun didn't mind it, so Decidueye believed that Lillie wouldn't either.

Lillie stood as still as a statue. Her eyes widened like the size of plates. "I-I…" Her words faded.

Luckily for her, Kiawe figured out what was wrong with her. "Oh! Decidueye, you're hurting her!" Decidueye took his sweet time getting off of her head.

"Anyway…" Mallow said, eyeing Lillie worriedly. "Miss Lusamine was nice enough to even get us a reservation. We'll gladly take her up on that. Right, Flygon?" She asked her ride pokémon, Flygon. A grunt caught Mallow and Lana's attention. They turned to the direction of the grunt and were shocked to see who it was.

"O-oranguru!?" Mallow stuttered. Her jaw dropped from seeing Oranguru lounging over on one of the seats with a drink in his hand.

A man came by after overhearing her amazement. "He's a regular customer here."

"I see. I had no idea," Mallow replied, unsure of how to take in the revelation.

"He's a big deal," Lana whispered, secretly envying Oranguru's lifestyle. Oranguru glanced at Mallow's right foot for a few seconds before resuming back to drinking his drink.

Ash scratched his face, confused by the interaction. He averted his gaze back to the others. Lillie had gotten over her initial pain and was now showing the pokémon something in her hands. Snowy was laying beside Sun's Ninetales.

"Remember this? Look! You were still a Vulpix! And Sandslash was just a Sandshrew. Over here is Rowlet!" Lillie pointed her finger to each of the respective three pokémon on the picture.

"Whatcha got there?" Ash questioned. He sat beside Ninetales and Snowy. He got a glimpse of what the picture was. It consisted of Rowlet, Sandshrew, and an Alolan Vulpix. Beside them was Sun, Hau, and Lillie. Lillie was hugging Sun's back with a wide smile on her face.

"O-oh! Um…" Lillie's face reddened, knowing that Ash saw the picture. "I'm showing the pokémon of the past. Mother told me it was a good way to remind them of me, so I brought some pictures with me," She explained, trying to fight of her embarrassment.

"Interesting…" Ash observed the picture more carefully. "So he hasn't caught his other three pokémon yet," He noted from the picture.

"I'm about to get to that next!" Lillie pulled out the next picture. This one was missing Hau, but still had Sun and Lillie. Like the previous picture, Lillie was hugging Sun. "Here's you Vanilluxe! You were just a small Vanillite. Glaceon, this is you as an Eevee. Rowlet evolved into a Dartrix." Ninetales and Sandslash were still in their pre-evolution forms.

Ash chuckled when Vanilluxe tried to hide himself. Seeing his first form was a bit embarrassing for Vanilluxe. Decidueye stared at his second form with pride. Ninetales, Glaceon and Sandslash were teasing Vanilluxe, adding in to his humiliation. Froslass frowned, not glad that she wasn't in any of the pictures yet.

"Here's a picture of us at Mount Lanakila. This was when Sun caught you, Froslass." Lillie showed them the next picture. Sandslash, Ninetales, and Decidueye were at their present forms. Glaceon remained an Eevee. Vanilluxe was a Vanillish. And Froslass was a Snorunt.

Ninetales, Vanilluxe, Sandslash, and Glaceon were now poking fun at Froslass and her corn chip looking form. Froslass conjured up a Shadow Ball, instantly hushing up the others. Decidueye shook his head at their behavior.

"Break it up you five," Lillie reprimanded the five pokémon. Froslass turned to her with the Shadow Ball still in her hands. "G-get rid of that first when you turn to someone please." Froslass rolled her eyes and diminished the attack. The pokémon let out a sigh of relief together.

Lillie grabbed the last picture and admired it. It was her favorite picture. It had her, Sun, and Hau in it. Both Sun and Hau's pokémon were present. She remembered the day it was taken. Sun had poured out all his emotions and expressed his gratitude towards her and Hau. Sun and Lillie were having a moment, one that she believed was going to seal the deal between them. They would've too if it wasn't for Hau coming in last second and pulling Sun away to go to the Malasada Store.

A third wheeler at their best.

"You and Sun sure were close," Ashes said, snapping Lillie's train of thought.

"We were…" Lillie sighed, staring at the picture with a distant expression on her face. She missed the old times when they were kids living their lives without anything to worry about. Silence filled the area for a hot minute until…

"Yarggg!!!" A figure leapt from behind a stack of crates and landed beside the pokémon.

"Moon!?" Ash and Lillie cried out in unison. Moon stood up straight and glowered at the two.

"Yes! It is I, Moon, and I'm here for vengeance!" Moon declared, throwing a fist up in the air. "You thought you could all go to a fancy resort without me!? Ha! Think again!"

Lillie's eyes widened. "How did you even know that we were going?"

"I overheard Lana talk about it with her family!" Moon answered her with a victorious grin. If anyone needed any rest and relaxation, it was her.

"B-but-"

"Silence!" Moon pressed her finger against Lillie's lips. "I'm fed up with being left out of everything. Now I'm going to change that! Starting with crashing your little paradise getaway!" She straightened her hat and kept a straight face.

"You don't have a reservation though," Ash pointed out. "How'd you even get on the ship?" No one could get on without having a reservation. It was hard enough to get one. Moon was still pretty new to Alola, making it difficult to understand how she managed to get a reservation in the first place.

"Easy!" Moon placed her hands on her hips and smirked arrogantly. "These guys are crazy for Sunny, so I told the people that run the ship that I'm his girlfriend. Then I said I'll go tell Sun to slander this resort. I even got a picture to prove it to 'em." Moon yanked out a photo and showed it to Ash and Lillie. Mainly Lillie.

It was of Sun kissing Moon on the cheek.

"That give 'em a scare so they let me in free of charge!" Moon chirped, shoving the picture into Lillie's face.

 _'G-girlfriend!?'_ Lillie shouted in her head. The picture showed off genuine emotion. Sun was a bit flustered but still looked like he meant it. Moon smiled brightly in the picture, clearly happy at the intimate gesture.

"So you and Sun were dating this entire time?" Ash questioned, not putting the puzzles in together. It made sense to him. Moon clung around Sun's body for the majority of her stay. Plus, there was that weird painting kissing that Ash wished to forget about.

"No," Moon replied sadly before perking up. "But we will be soon! Then we'll get married and live happily ever after like the fairy tales! I've already picked out names for our kids. Doesn't Sol and Luna sound cute?" She asked Ash cheekily.

Ash put his hand under his chin. "Now that you say it out loud…"

Lillie tuned out their conversation. All she could think about was what Moon said. She was so adamant about her and Sun being together in the near future. Moon wasn't even afraid to share it. It was as if she was so certain that she was meant to be with Sun.

Which she wasn't.

Lillie glared at Moon with pure jealousy. Now, Lillie wasn't the one to hold grudges. She rarely ever did. Which was why a new feeling arose. One that she wasn't familiar with.

The new feeling was envy. Lillie envied Moon in a lot of ways. She envied her carefree attitude. She envied her confidence. She envied her forwardness. She envied her power as a trainer. Most of all, she envied her relationship with Sun. It was during this time did Lillie realize that she had to step up her game or else she'd lose the type of relationship that she wanted with Sun.

 _'Mother was right.'_ Lillie hugged her arm and tilted her head down so no one could see her face since her hat blocked it.

 _'It's just between Moon and I. I don't think there's anyone else who admires him that much.'_

On the other side of the ship, Lana sneezed.

 ** _At the Pokémon Paradise Resort..._**

The group of six exited the ship with the self invited Moon. There were numerous protests when they found out that she was on the ship. Moon ignored them, leaving the students to accept it. Ash had managed to clear up the tension, backing up Moon by reminding them that she could use a break too.

Even if she didn't do all that much.

They arrived at the entrance of the Pokémon Paradise Resort and were greeted by a lady.

"Alola! Welcome to the Pokémon Paradise Resort!" She opened the door for them and smiled.

"Alola!" They thanked her and continued to make their way to the front desk. When they did, Oranguru was there with a suitcase. He gave the receptionist some money and carried on with his stay.

"He really is a regular!" Mallow breathed in. "We're here to check in too!" She and her friends stood behind the counter.

The male receptionist was working with his device to search for their names. There was one reservation that caught his eye. "You're the Ultra Guardians, correct?" It wasn't everyday that six kids came to the popular resort. Then again, Oranguru was a regular. "Which area would you like to visit?"

"Area?" Ash was new to the whole resort and didn't know what they had to offer.

"This facility is split up into different areas with different purposes," The receptionist explained. "There's the Care Area, which focuses on pokémon treatment. And then there's the Play Area, where they can have fun playing!"

Ash's inner child came out. "Then I'm going to the Play Area!" He responded excitedly, raising his hand high. It had been a while since he had gone and played with his pokémon.

Mallow's eye twitched at his answer. "Wrong! We're here to take care of our ride pokémon today." She raised an eyebrow at his forgetfulness. Secretly, Mallow didn't mind going to the Play Area first. However, with her broken foot, it was going to be a lot harder to try and play with her pokémon.

Ash rubbed the back of his neck and smiled apologetically. "Right, so the Care Area." The man nodded, a little amused of his bashfulness.

Pikachu noticed something from out the window and scurried closer to the glass. Togedemaru and Poipole followed him, also seeing it. There was a big water slide out there. It was practically begging for them to come and slide. The three let out cries as they planted their hands on the glass.

"You guys wanna go over there, huh?" Ash chuckled. "Alright! Come out, everyone!" He released his remaining three pokémon so they could go play too.

Kiawe followed Ash's lead. "You guys go have fun too!"

"Go, Charjabug!" Sophocles let out his pokémon as well. Everyone was set to begin their afternoon. Well, almost everyone.

"And who might you be? You're not with the Ultra Guardians. They're a group of six." The male receptionist directed his focus to Moon.

Moon put on her best smile. "You see guy, I don't really have a reservation." The man frowned. "But I do really have a good reason why I should be allowed in!"

"Let's hear it then." The man sneakily grabbed his portable transmission, ready to call for backup.

Moon fished out her picture. "Do you happen to know a boy named Sun? You know, the Sun that was almost champion of this region." Ash, Mallow, Lana, Kiawe, Sophocles, and Lillie lingered around the room to watch what transpires.

"Of course! He booked a reservation for six about a year ago but was a no show. That was too bad. The staff was ready to assist him and his friends very kindly." The man recalled the day. It put everyone on high alert that a soon-to-be champion was visiting their place.

Moon smirked, showing him the picture. "I just so happen to be Sun's girlfriend. If you don't let me in then I'll get him to announce that this place is one that no one should visit again!" She threatened, giving him her signature stink eye.

"W-woah!" The man backed up. "No need for that. Anyone that close to Sun will be treated with the utmost service! Which area will you be choosing, miss?" The Ultra Guardians jaws dropped at how easily Moon was able to convince the man to let her in for free. That and the fact that she told him that she was Sun's girlfriend.

"The Play Area!" Moon giggled. It was so easy to trick people now and days.

"No fair!" Ash complained, wishing that he could go with Moon and the pokémon. He was smacked on the leg by one of Mallow's crutches.

A female employee quickly rushed to the door nervously. "I-I'll lead the way. It's over here." Being in the same room with a celebrity's girlfriend put her on edge. Everyone treated Sun as a celebrity. They didn't really care and pay attention to the other trainers who took on the Island Challenge. They believed that it'd all end the same with them quitting the challenge. Unbeknownst to the public, Ash and Gladion were on their way to challenge the final Kahuna, Hapu.

Moon and the pokémon marched towards the lady.

Rotom made itself known. "I'll be here. Bzzt! This pokémon care fascinates me!" It buzzed. Moon poked her head from the door.

"You guys, want to come and play with us on the super cool water slide?" She asked Sun's pokémon.

Lillie reached her hand out forward. "W-wait!" It was too late. Ninetales, Glaceon, Froslass, Sandslash, and Vanilluxe went in the Play Area with Moon. "At least you're still here," Lillie said to Decidueye.

Decidueye looked left and right at the water slide, and then at Lillie. It was a super cool water slide. Making up his mind, Decidueye squawked loudly at Lillie and joined his pals to the Play Area.

"O-oh…" Lillie's frown deepened. No one wanted to be with her. That made her feel worse about herself. Her chances to get the pokémon to like her were slimming.

Mallow came to the rescue for her friend. "Don't sweat it, Lillie. You can't blame them for wanting to have fun." If Decidueye was willing to go to the water slide then it was bound to be a thriller.

Lana pursed her lips. "Moon can be quite the troublesome for us all," She huffed. It was mind wrenching enough that Moon called herself Sun's girlfriend, now she was ruining the trip for Lillie. The trip that was supposed to be a rest of relaxation for everyone.

"I guess you have a point." Lillie recollected herself and stood by her Altaria. "You won't leave my side, would you?" Altaria shook its head, much to Lillie's delight.

"Well, in that case," The man interjected. "Everyone please proceed to the counseling room." The Ultra Guardians headed to the room that the man directed them to.

 ** _Afterwards..._**

The group of six went outside to go to the changing rooms. A trio of individuals were watching them from the distance.

This was none other than Team Rocket.

Jessie grinned as she saw the students leave. "There they are. Secretly spying on the twerps paid off." They were working undercover as employees of the Pokémon Paradise Resort.

"But Sunny boy isn't with them," James said, disappointed. "He wasn't with them when we tried to get the pokémon at the stupid school either. I'm starting to think that he doesn't even hang out with these twerps." Their mission was to spy on Sun and garner as much intel as they can. To their misfortune, they hadn't seen Sun at all. No Sun meant no promotion for them.

Jessie thought about this. "We'll just force them to talk! We can handle some twerps on our own. Then we'll get their pokémon." She came up with the plan on the spot.

Meowth grinned. "Chances like these don't come often! This plan to get both Pikachu and all their ride pokémon at once is genius!" The three cackled manically, believing this to be their most effective plan yet. "And now we have all these fancy gadgets to assist us!" James, Jessie, and Meowth simultaneously pulled out different devices.

James had a drone with a camera attached to it. In his hands was a remote control to control the drone. It was packed with a silent engine so no one could hear it.

Jessie switched out her glasses for a pair of tech ones. The new modified glasses aided her with the ability to identify each pokémons strengths and weaknesses. This came along with a night vision mode that wouldn't be useful right now.

Meowth put a ring on his paw. When he'd activate it, a hologram of Sun would appear. Thanks to his superior mind, Meowth was able to remember a good chunk of Sun's appearance. Though, he'd never admit that he saw a couple of pictures of Sun from some of the people of Melemele Island.

Mareanie had a love struck gaze on James. Loving to see his smile, Mareanie jumped up to get closer to him. This resulted in a scuffle between the four. The lady from the main office walked by, making them go still. A question mark popped up beside her as she didn't bother to question the new employees strange behavior.

Once she was out of view, Team Rocket huddled up. "Prepare the plan."

"Roger!" The three went their separate paths. Mareanie was following James while Jessie and Meowth sneakily made their way to where the twerps moseyed off to.

 ** _At the Play Area..._**

Moon and the pokémon arrived at the Play Area. Looking around the area, there were pools, a volleyball court, booths, and the magnificent giant water slide.

"So cool!" Moon gushed over the giant water slide. She was in her orange swimsuit, ready to go swimming. The pokémon were on par with her enthusiasm. "Woohoo! Time to go have fun!" Moon raced over to the water slide first with the other pokémon in tow.

Turtonator, Torracat, Ninetales and Froslass stayed behind. Their definition of fun didn't involve being a rowdy bunch of pokémon. They turned their heads to Tsareena. She was enjoying her time relaxing on a chair. The three pokémon exchanged glances before going to join Tsareena. Ninetales trotted over to a nearby small pool and jumped in. She was greeted by a couple of children petting her head gently.

They all sighed in contentment, letting the warm weather ease their worries away.

Meanwhile, Kiawe, Mallow, Lillie, Lana, and Sophocles changed into their swimwear and were now at the hot springs. Rotom and the ride pokémon were an exception as they couldn't have any swimwear.

"It's huge!" Ash gasped, admiring the huge hot spring areas all around them.

Kiawe nodded, "This abundance of hot spring water is impressive. Truly, this place is blessed by Wela Volcano!"

"This area is very effective against tense shoulders, bruises, sprains, low body temperature…" Rotom tried informing Ash of the advantages of the hot springs.

Overjoyed, Ash didn't waste any time. "I'm going in!" He rushed in the hot springs as quick as he can. Some disapproved of this.

Sophocles cringed. "Diving in is dangerous!" He recalled a similar experience when his friend, Sun, attempted to do a belly flop. Long story short, he wasn't able to move for quite a while.

"Be more careful, Ash!" Mallow advised him, also remembering the same memory. Ash poked his head out of the water.

"Hurry in, you guys! The water is great!" He felt bad when Mallow frowned and looked down at her casted right foot.

"The doctor said I can't get my cast wet," Mallow said. Sadness was present on her face because she wasn't allowed to do one of things she loved.

Wanting to make it up to her, Ash swam near the edge of the hot springs. "We can always do something else." It wouldn't be fair to Mallow if they were all having fun without her.

"It's fine." Mallow let out a heavy sigh. "I'll just hang back for a bit." She gave him a smile when he wasn't entirely convinced with the idea. "Really, Ash. I don't mind."

"If you say so." Ash reluctantly let it slide for now. Flygon followed Ash's lead and catapulted in the warm hot water. Sophocles was fast enough to react to the incoming wave of water heading their way and stood in front of Mallow's right foot. The water splashed on both of them. Fortunately, Mallow's cast was dry.

Mallow, already frustrated, gave Ash a piece of her mind. "Ash! Flygon just copied you! That really could've gotten my cast wet!" Sophocles wiped the water off his face. He took in most of the damage.

"S-sorry! I-I didn't mean to! Honest!" Ash's guilt only further increased. He had to make it up to her somehow. Flygon also apologized and bowed its head. Garchomp didn't get the message. It let its competitive side get the best of it. Garchomp came barreling towards the hot spring and catapulted in too. The results were pretty much the same.

"Ash!!!" Mallow seethed in fury.

"I didn't mean for that either!" Ash felt like it was his fault since Garchomp was his ride pokémon. Now he needed something bigger to make it up to Mallow.

"Oh brother." Lillie shook her head at the scene. The trip was off to a shaky start already. She didn't notice her Altaria watching Flygon and Garchomp with sparkles in its eyes. Instead, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Psst! Blondie!" The voice said loud enough for her to hear. Lillie's whole body froze.

"S-sun?" Before she could confirm that it was him, Altaria forced her to get in the hot springs with it. "W-wait!" With a shocking amount of strength, Lillie stomped her bare feet to the ground. This caused Altaria to lose its grip on her and go on without her. "Sun?" Lillie turned around to see if it really was him. To her disappointment, no one was there.

 _'I swear that I heard him! It had to be him!'_ She could identify Sun's voice from anywhere. It was how she knew it was Sun back when they were dealing with Stakataka.

"Yo! Over here!" The voice cried out again. Lillie was positive that it was Sun. But that didn't make any sense. He shouldn't be here.

"Sun? Where are you?" Lillie's eyes wandered all over the Care Area. The others overheard her and eyed her weirdly. It was strange that she was talking to herself. It was about Sun no less. They took at as Lillie trying to cope with her emotions.

"Are ya blind!? I'm over here silly!" The voice got fed up with her.

"Where…?" Lillie didn't understand why he was being a bit rude. That and she still couldn't spot him anywhere.

"Lillie! Get in with us!" Ash called out to her. Everyone else, minus Mallow, were relaxing in the hot springs.

"Didn't any of you hear him?" Lillie asked in a soft tone.

"Hear who?" Ash quirked an eyebrow. He didn't hear anything.

Lillie stared at the location that she heard Sun's voice carefully. There were no signs that he was there anymore.

 _'Maybe it was my imagination.'_ Lillie hugged her arm and sighed sadly.

 _'I miss you so much, Sun.'_

 ** _Back with Moon..._**

"Geronimo!" Moon hollered as she went down the water slide. She reached the end and laughed merrily. "Definitely one of the best water slides yet!" Moon watched the other pokémon come down the water slide too.

Pikachu, Togedemaru, Rowlet, and Poipole shared a raft. They cried out in joy as the arrived to the end. Popplio, Lycanroc, and Snowy came rushing down the other water slide. Next, Glaceon and Vanilluxe came down, followed by Decidueye and Sandslash. After them was Mr. Mime, and Hypno. Then, Jynx and Alakazam. And finally, Marowak and Charjabug.

Moon had let out her pokémon on the way to the water slide so they could play too. Blastoise wasn't up for going down a water slide so he joined Tsareena, Turtonator, Torracat, and Froslass. Pikachu greeted his pals, clearly wanting to go ride the water slide again.

Marowak looked off to the side where its teammate, Turtonator, was relaxing. It wanted Turtonator to have fun with them. Soon, the pokémon and Moon got out of the water and approached the onlookers.

"Blastoise! Get your lazy tail up! We have some slides to go down of!" Moon barked. Blastoise ignored Moon and continued to keep his eyes closed. Marowak tried to convince Turtonator to go join it but to no avail. As an alternative, it grabbed Turtonator's tail and tugged on it in an effort to pull him out of the chair.

Moon was doing the same. "Grr… you know I hate it when you're like this, Blastoise! You're being a big meanie right now! Just come and play with us!" She pulled his leg so he'd get the message. Blastoise wasn't budging.

"Don't force them to play along," A feminine voice said in the distance. Marowak and Moon saw a pink haired lady with glasses beside them. "Some pokémon don't want to get wet."

Moon glared at the lady. "But Blastoise is a water-type pokémon! Get lost, employee. Shouldn't you be cleaning toilets or something?"

"Why you…" The pink haired woman almost exploded but managed to keep her cool. "And who might you be? Kids should respect their elders."

"Shut it, old lady!" Moon crossed her arms and smirked. "You should treat me with more respect! I just so happen to be the significant other of the trainer who almost became champion of this region, Sun!" She declared proudly. Blastoise rolled his eyes at this.

The woman blinked. "Sun, you say? Interesting." Before another word was exchanged, a blue haired man came. He brought along something that was covered in a tarp.

"But we have good news for those of you who feel that way!" He unveiled what was under the sheet. "Can you believe it? By getting on this boat, you'll be able to have fun in the water pool with everyone, without getting wet!" He presented confidently.

The pokémon mouths went wide open at the invention. It did seem pretty fun to be in. Even Turtonator had to admit that too.

"Come on board! We'll carry you to the pool!" The woman offered, sealing the deal for the pokémon. Though, some remained unconvinced.

"Now just hold on one second!" Moon pulled back Togedemaru and Poipole, preventing them from going on any further. They were the playful ones in the group. "Sun's mother always told me that I shouldn't get in some vehicle with strangers. We'll pass." The pokémon voiced their disappointment, angering Moon. "I said we'll pass!" She restated harshly. The pokémon and Ultra Beast gulped and nodded frighteningly.

 _'Shoot! The plans failing.'_ The woman thought in her head. This woman turned out to be Jessie and the man was James. They both distinctly remembered Moon back when they had the pokémon trapped in cages at the Pokémon School. She was foiling their plans again! This wasn't going to happen a second time.

James was the first to attempt to persuade Moon. "We'll throw in these fine accessories if you test this puppy out," He proposed, tossing in his golden chains and golden watch. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make for the plan.

Moon's interests perked. She could sell these and buy something for Sun when he came back. He'll appreciate her more than that Lillie. "Maybe. If you were to throw something else in…" Moon trailed off, waiting for their next offer.

"Uh…" James dug inside his pockets and found the jewel embedded sunglasses that Wobbuffet owned. He also removed his gold belt buckle too. "These too!"

Moon's eyes turned to money signs. "Deal!" She snatched the expensive items and dashed inside the boat. The others followed, delighted that Moon changed her mind. Decidueye, Torracat, and Tsareena lagged behind, unsure of what to think of this.

"There, there, come on board." James lightly pushed them inside. Tsareena and Torracat went in while Decidueye remained outside. "Go in, bird brain!" James grabbed hold of Decidueye and flung him inside.

Decidueye collided with some of the pokémon and he immediately stood up. Unfortunately for everyone inside, the door closed.

Moon gasped. "Ah! I knew it! Let us out!" Moon banged her fists on the window. She couldn't believe that she got tricked. Then again, she still has the expensive accessories.

Jessie and James cackled and started to roll the ships forward.

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

Lillie had a tough time enjoying herself. She kept looking around the area in search of Sun. Eventually, they all got out of the hot pool of water.

"That really warmed me up," Ash said, shaking the water off his body. His eyes flickered over to Mallow. Although appearing okay, Ash knew that there was some sense of sorrowness in her. He was determined that whatever they did next, Mallow could be included too.

"Hot springs are the best," Lana added in happily. Being someone who loves swimming, it was no surprise that Lana had a good time in the hot springs. She took a few seconds to wonder if that's where the nickname, _'water girl'_ originated from Sun. She didn't have any more time to dwell on the matter as she gasped suddenly.

Lillie also gasped, seeing something very unexpected. It was her Altaria… well she wasn't even sure if it was. Her Altaria's usual poofy body was altered because of the water. Now Altaria's feathers were wet so it made its wings shrink. It revealed how skinny it actually was without the big fluffy wings.

Altaria tilted its head sideways, confused as to why it was receiving so much stares. This was normal for it.

"Is that... Altaria?" Lana asked, more curious than confused now. "I thought that was a different pokémon for a second." She really did. This was nothing like the Altaria she was so used to seeing.

After being snapped out of his stunned state, Sophocles patted his Metang. He was slightly glad it didn't hold any unknown secrets like Altaria. "Now we'll split up into our own recommended courses."

"Hey!" Kiawe grabbed their attention by flailing his hand in the air. "Go on ahead! Charizard likes extra long baths!" The main reason to this was that the water was hot. It was just like the water Kiawe used to wash Charizard back at home.

"Okay! See you later!" Ash responded. The rest of the Ultra Guardians went to their respective courses. Lana and Lillie went together while Sophocles went alone. "Hey Mallow, what area were you recommend to go to?"

"They wanted me to take Flygon to the swimming pool," Mallow answered, motioning Flygon to follow her.

"Cool! Me too!" He said overexcited. He paused, not sure why he sounded so happy. He shrugged it off and walked alongside his Garchomp.

Mallow, for the most part was doing okay. It was a bit challenging traveling with the crutches but she learned to do with them.

"Do you need any help?" Ash asked. It silently berated himself for not asking earlier.

"No, no. It's fine," Mallow replied. It was weird having people asking if she needed assistance. She could still do alright even in this state.

"Do you need Flygon to carry you?" Ash was unknowingly making Mallow irritated.

"No. Flygon has to relax. I can't make it carry me around all day." Flygon shook its head. It didn't mind carrying Mallow at all. Though, Mallow insisted that she'd walk on her own.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ash."

"Positive?"

"I'm fine."

"Maybe I can-"

Mallow exploded, "I said I'm alright! What part of that don't you get, Ash Ketchum?!" She shouted in his face. Mallow stormed off as fast as she could. Which wasn't much in general. Going to fast caused her to lose her balance and trip.

"Mallow!" Ash ran to go check on Mallow. He was shocked when Mallow yelled at him. He was just trying to be helpful. "Mallow?" His features softened when Mallow looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"I-I can't do anything with this broken foot. I feel so helpless, Ash. I can't have any fun at this place." Mallow spoke quietly. A few tears slithered down her face as she talked.

"That's not true. You can still…" Ash paused. "Well…" Another pause. "You can play chess."

"This is what I'm talking about!" Mallow groaned. "I know that this trip is mostly for them." She gestured at Flygon and Garchomp. "But I was hoping I could use this to get my mind off things. It just made everything worse!"

Ash awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "We still have each other, don't we." His whole face turned red. "I-I mean we as in all of o-our friends! We're here to make you feel better," He rephrased his words as it had a different context into it.

"Hey." Mallow had a weird glint in her eye. "Oranguru healed my ankle when it was sprained awhile back. Think he'd helped me out right now!?" She asked, a bit too eagerly.

"I think he wants to relax too. It's best if we don't bother him," Ash replied, shooting down Mallow's hopes.

"Ugh!" Mallow slumped down on the ground, defeated. If living with a broken foot was this bad on the first day, she couldn't imagine having to deal with this for a month.

"Like I said before." Ash crouched down and offered her his hand. "We're all here to help. That's what friends are for. You don't have to be struggling on your own. If we're overdoing it bit too much then you can just say no. We'll understand."

Mallow looked up and met Ash's eyes. They were filled with genuine concern for her well-being. His wide smile radiating with the bright rays of the sun. She averted her eyes and had a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Thanks," Mallow thanked shyly. She accepted his hand and leaned onto him so she could adjust her crutches.

 _'Green apple?'_ Ash thought as he accidentally took a whiff of her hair. He stepped back once she regained her balance. The two quietly looked around, not sure what to say to the other.

"Pool time! Bzzt!" Rotom got tired of waiting and zoomed past them. The ride pokémon in tow.

"Heh. Same old Rotom." The two shared a chuckle as they were walking in a slower pace, taking the time to start a new conversation.

Hiding behind the rocks, the Team Rocket Trio watched them. Evil grins were plastered on their faces. Meowth was busy knocking on his ring.

"These guys seem to be feeling great and they're letting their guard down too," Jessie pointed out. The Ultra Guardians would be so distracted that they wouldn't suspect a thing. It was all a part of the plan.

James smirked. "We'll attack when they're relaxing at this popular resort. There's no way this plan will fail!" He pumped his fist to the air. The odds of the plan failing were zero.

Meowth stopped tinkering with the ring and wiggled his body. "They should keep getting all wrinkly and lax. They'll become completely useless!" He returned back to tapping on his ring. James checked on the pokémon and Moon on his device. Everything was in order.

"Will you quit that?" Jessie hissed. The tapping was already a nuisance to her.

Meowth glared right back. "I will once I get this dumb ring to work. I've been trying since we got here!" He gave it one final punch with his paw. Thankfully, a hologram of Sun appeared right in front of them.

The hologram of Sun was legit enough to pass as him. He had a few static frequencies every now and then but it wasn't noticeable from a distance. The hologram depicted the same colors as Sun's eyes, hair, skin, and even his clothes. Money sure does wonders.

"Impressive," Jessie murmured. "Can he speak?"

Meowth patted his chest proudly. "Of course." On queue, Meowth began to speak into the ring. "Salutations!" The hologram spoke when he did.

James scratched his head. "The voice is a bit raspy. Won't the twerps know the voice is off?" It surely didn't sound like Sun. The question was if people would buy it.

"No need to sweat. If it obviously looks like Sun then it's all we need. I can even tell him what to do." Meowth pressed the tiny button on the side of the ring. "Sit." The hologram sat. "Roll over." The hologram rolled over. "Now pose!" The hologram posed and flashed a toothy smile.

"Hm..." Jessie hummed. She reached out to touch the hologram. As expected, her hand went right through it. "What will you do if someone tries to touch him?"

Meowth smiled sheepishly. "I'll deal with it when the time comes. Regardless, this is a foolproof plan. I'll go follow the two twerpettes that went off over there."

Jessie nodded. "I'll get the two that ran off to the pool."

"I'll go over to the twerp that is still in the hot springs," James chimed in. "Wobbuffet and Mareanie can get the short twerp." The five shared a series of chuckles.

"Nothing will stop us now!"

 ** _At the joint care area..._**

Mareanie and Wobbuffet were in disguise. Wobbuffet was covered in the typical employee wear. Mareanie was on top of him with something on top of her head. They blended in as an employee working at the resort.

"It looks great on you, Metang!" Sophocles complimented his ride pokémon.

"You're free to use as much of this aroma oil as you want," One of the female employees said.

On the table, there were large glasses of aroma oil. There was plenty for Metang considering its size.

Sophocles grabbed one of the glasses. "Oil massages are perfect for steel-types!" He opened the lid and poured the oil on Metang's joints. "I'll focus on your joints since this is joint care."

Sophocles frowned as he tried to reach the certain area. "I can't reach this part."

Mareanie and Wobbuffet took this as their opportunity. They hurried over to the boy and presented him brush. The more relaxed he was, the more he'd have his guard down.

"You have these!? That'll really help!" Sophocles thanked the funny looking employee and took the brush. He dipped it in the glass and brushed it against the parts of Metang that he couldn't reach.

"Well, Metang? Feels great, doesn't it? I'll make your spikes sparkle!" Metang let out a happy cry at that.

Wobbuffet and Mareanie were laughing quietly as the plan was off with a boom.

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

James was spying on Kiawe and Charizard heading to one of the areas. It was the spot where pokémon were properly massage with the use of hands. Unlike Jessie, James actually took the time to practice his job and learn more about it.

"Charizard, I'll give my full power to get rid of your weariness," Kiawe promised his ride pokémon. He pressed down two of his fingers on Charizard's. To his shock, nothing happened.

Charizard grunted, not feeling his weariness go away.

Kiawe frowned. He was never one to back down from his word. "Is it here then?" Kiawe went lower on Charizard's neck and pushed down. The results were the same.

"Pfft. Amateur," James scoffed, shaking his head. Seeing the twerp struggle wasn't going to get him to relax. The Team Rocket member decided to help Kiawe out.

James walked over to Charizard and pressed his thumb on the correct spot. Immediately, Charizard's eyes shot wide open. Charizard let out a satisfied roar.

Kiawe observed Charizard's behavior. "It's working! Incredible!" He exclaimed with a hint of jealousy.

The lavender haired man chuckled arrogantly. "Well, that's because it's me!" He directed his thumb towards him. "The man who has massaged ten thousand pokémon before!" He stated cockily. It may have been an exaggeration. No one but him will know for sure.

Kiawe stepped back, aghast by his words. "W-who are you!?" He felt completely powerless with the mystery man around.

James ignored his question. "The tension is built up here, ya see?" He showed him where the tension was on Charizard.

"Whoa. This is a big one." Kiawe had his hands where the man i instructed.

"Ya gotta push it. Ready? And…" Kiawe pushed with all his might.

"It's hard!" His muscles were tightening. Kiawe's face was twisting.

"Toughen up!" James shouted.

Charizard lay there with a content expression. Eventually, Kiawe started to get the hang of it. James quietly slipped out of there and headed back outside.

"I worked up nice sweat." With his job done, James pulled out his device to check how Jessie was doing.

 ** _At the pool..._**

"Way to make it seem obvious," Jessie muttered under her breath. The invention that James had was hovering right behind her. The camera attached to it was blinking its lights.

She lingered around the pool, waiting for the twerps to show up. Thankfully, they finally did after a few minutes.

"This is an awesome pool! Bzzt!" The weird pokédex cried out. Jessie was contemplating whether Rotom would make a nice addition to the team.

"Now, swim as fast as you want, and blow your stress away," A male employee told Mallow and Ash. They were in a much better mood than before.

Mallow turned to her Flygon. "Oh yeah, can you swim, Flygon?" Flygon nodded and dove straight into the pool excitingly. It started to swim fast across the pool.

"Flygon's doing butterfly strokes!" Ash noted with a grin.

"Swimming Flygon… data updated. Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. It snapped a picture of Flygon swimming.

Garchomp grew agitated at Flygon's swimming. It wanted to one up it. With that in mind, Garchomp went in the pool and easily caught up to Flygon.

"You're so quick too, Garchomp!" Ash cheered for his ride pokémon. Mallow was also impressed with its swimming skills.

"Swimming Garchomp has been added too. Bzzt!" Rotom said.

Flygon and Garchomp were quickly swimming with all their might. It was neck and neck between the two. By now, most of the people hanging around the pool stopped what they were doing to watch the two ride pokémon race.

Ash blinked. "Hey! You're going too fast!" The excitement wore off. He feared one of them might get hurt if they couldn't control their speed.

"Perhaps Garchomp doesn't want to lose to Flygon." Mallow continued when Ash still seemed a bit lost, "I mean, it looked like they were competing earlier too! They must be rivals!"

"I see. Well then, hang in there, Garchomp!" Ash shouted.

Mallow got into it too. "Don't you lose, Flygon!" The two laughed as they were rooting for their ride pokémon.

Jessie took this as the time to strike. She zipped toward them, holding various items. She presented it to them.

"Use these are please," Jessie requested kindly. She handed them the items. Ash and Mallow inspected the items.

"What are these?" Ash asked.

"Cheering items?" Mallow held a plastic megaphone with her hand. She couldn't really hold on to it due to needed her hands to hold her crutches.

Jessie adjusted her glasses. "Serious cheers from their trainers will make the pokémon even more fired up!" She had her own cheering item with her. "All together now! Go, go, both of you!"

Mallow and Ash followed the woman's lead. "Go, go, both of you! Don't lose, don't lose, both of you!" Luckily, Mallow managed to cheer even with her predicament. It made her even more happier knowing that she could still have fun.

"Go, go, go!"

 ** _With Lillie and Lana..._**

Lillie and Lana were at the mud based beauty area. What they didn't know was that there was a certain feline Team Rocket member observing them closely.

"The mud based beauty treatment supplies plenty of minerals to the skin, plumage, and enhances the pokémon's metabolism," One of the female employees explained.

"Sounds good!" Lana spoke for the both of them. Lillie had been quiet since they were in the hot springs. The two grabbed a bucket of the mud and took their ride pokemon to a separate open stall.

"Well then…" Lillie sighed, shaking off the sadness in her voice so Altaria wouldn't be worried. "Let us do this, Altaria." She dumped her hands in the bucket and applied the mud on Altaria's neck.

Altaria got ticklish by the mud. It cooed softly and rubbed its head on Lillie. Its playfulness accidentally sent Lillie crashing to the ground. Some of the mud had gotten on her skin.

"Altaria, we aren't playing in the mud," Lillie lightly scolded her ride pokémon.

 _'Now's my chance!'_ Meowth sprung into action and carried to small buckets of mud. He wasn't activating the ring just yet.

"The mud here is super effective on trainers too!" He dropped the buckets to the ground. "By all means, enjoy it together with your pokémon." This was a perfect way to keep her distracted for the moment.

"In that case… let's apply the mud to each other." Lillie and Altaria began to play with one another with the mud. This made Lillie temporarily forget about her earlier worries.

Meowth hopped over to Lana next. "Now you too."

Lana smiled. Watching Lillie and Altaria having fun made her want to do the same with her Dratini. "Let's do it, Dratini." To her shock, Dratini whimpered and rapidly shook its head. "Are you scared?" Dratini closed its eyes, too embarrassed to look at Lana.

Meowth had a tick mark appear on his forehead. Out of all the things a pokémon could be afraid of, it had to be mud. That was the dumbest fear he ever witnessed.

Meowth scoffed, "Now listen up. You're supposed to go all out and do this quickly." With all his strength, Meowth threw the mud directly at Dratini.

Lana gasped. It wasn't right to pour all the mud on Dratini if it didn't want to in the first place. Dratini blinked several times before letting out a happy noise. There was nothing to be afraid of after all.

"Are you alright." Dratini responded with a nod. "Really? I'll help apply it to you!" Lana used her hands to spread out the mud on Dratini's face.

"We got loads more, so keep going!" Meowth puffed out his chest, proud of his handiwork. His part of the plan was a success. There was one more thing he wanted to test out and that was the ring.

In truth, Meowth was uncertain if it could fool them. He didn't know why Sun wasn't at the resort with them. Jessie informed him and James that his supposed girlfriend, Moon was here too. It doesn't make any sense why Sun didn't join them. He could just make up some excuse that Sun changed his mind if he did refuse the invite.

Sneakily, Meowth walked away and spoke loud enough for the two girls to hear. "I'm sorry, sir. We don't have anymore mud. I can go get a fresh batch." Meowth quickly got away from there and summoned the hologram Sun to take his place.

Lillie overheard the conversation and felt bad about using all of the mud. As a consolation, she decided to share some of hers. She picked up a bucket of her mud. "Here. You can have some of…" As soon as she turned around her mind went blank. "Eh?" She stared at the hologram of Sun with eyes as wide as plates.

"What's up?" Lana asked her from her stall. She poked her head to see what had got her friend speechless. "Sun?"

The hologram of Sun cleared his throat. "Yes! It is I, Sun! The boy with many secrets!" Meowth cackled quietly as his plan was working.

Lillie eyed Sun with a suspicious look. "You're not Sun," She said coldly.

Lana cocked her head sideways. "How can you tell? It looks so much like him." The blue haired girl rubbed her eyes to make sure that she was seeing this right.

"W-what are you talking about? It's me, Sun! Everyone's friendly neighborhood trainer." Meowth cursed himself for stumbling over his words.

Lillie placed her hands on her hips and glared at Sun. "Sun would never be around mud. He hates it. Yet, you asked for some!" Lillie accused the hologram of Sun. There wasn't anyone that knew him as well as she.

 _'He doesn't like mud either!?'_ Meowth thought bitterly. He had to save this fiasco in his favor.

"I guess you're right. Sun's still possessed by Marshadow. There's no way he can be here," Lana replied.

 _'Possessed?'_ Meowth had no idea what they were talking about. Maybe this was why Sun wasn't here. Though, he had a tough time believing that he was possessed. Since the blue haired twerpette was so adamant about it, Meowth had to use this to his advantage.

"Er… you caught me. I'm what's left of Sun. I'm his spirit! Yeah, that's it. My possessed side took over and I'm what's left of me." The hologram of Sun explained to them. To further prove it, Meowth made the hologram go through one of the walls of the stalls.

"S-spirit?" Lana croaked out. They were too late. Marshadow had completely took control of Sun. Now, this is what's left of him.

"No!" Lillie refused to believe the spirit. She still held firm to her belief that this wasn't Sun at all. "If you're really his spirit then when was Sun born? Where is he originally from? What's his favorite hobby? W-who did he go out with?" Lillie fired a series of questions to check if what the spirit was saying was true.

"Uh…" Meowth knew there was no point in trying to convince them. "My time is up! I got to head back to the spirit world. Bye!" The hologram of Sun vanished into thin air. Meowth let out a huge sigh and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"What just happened?" Lana had trouble processing what just occurred.

Lillie's eyes rested on the spot where the spirit last was. "Someone is trying to trick us. They're using Sun as bait. We should be more careful." Seeing Sun disappear in a flash was what creeped her out the most. There was a small part of her that actually believed that it was his spirit.

 _'That wasn't the same voice I heard before.'_ Remembering the earlier encounter, Lillie heard Sun's voice when she was at the hot springs. The spirit Sun had a more raspy tone. _'I need to start relaxing. I'm getting worked up too much.'_ Lillie resumed applying mud on Altaria.

Lana scratched her head. She decided to follow Lillie's lead and forget about the strange conversation with the spirit.

 ** _Afterwards..._**

Team Rocket reunited to check up on how they all did. Meowth was the only one who had bad news to share.

"That blonde twerpette managed to see right through the charade. How was I supposed to know that Sun hates mud!?" Meowth ranted on, furious that Lillie ruined his expensive plan.

James raised an eyebrow. "Looks like Sunny boy and the twerpette have a close friendship."

"We're just going to have to use it on the more clueless brats." Jessie came up with a solution. "For now, be more wiser on who to fool people. You almost blew your cover."

Meowth waved her off with an irate expression. "Yeah, yeah. I didn't waste all this money for nothing." Things have been shaping up well for the Team Rocket trio. The sudden rise of wealth was beneficial for more effective traps and gadgets. The success rate of capturing pokémon was already high as they have Pikachu and the others at their disposal. Meowth then remembered something crucial.

"The small twerpette mentioned something about Sun being possessed by a pokémon. It's sounds too crazy to be true." Meowth expressed his doubts about the ordeal.

"Possessed?" Jessie repeated. "That's not that far off. Remember when James here got possessed by a Gastly while we were at the Kanto region?" She reminded them.

James shuddered. "Ugh. Don't remind me." From what his teammates told him, James was possessed by the Ghost of Maiden's Peak. As it turned out, it wasn't a pretty woman. No, it was a Gastly who tricked him and the original twerp from Kanto.

"Either way, this is a piece of information that the boss needs to hear." Jessie wrote down the memo. The boss assigned them to gather intel on Sun. The three may have had a lot of screw ups but this time they were sure that it wouldn't be a failure.

James played around with his drone. "We still have that Moon girl to spill out more info on Sun. Plus, we can spy on those twerps and get them to talk about Sun. Maybe that fault with the hologram wasn't a complete mess after all," He said, looking around the area.

"You're right! They'll be forced to talk about him!" Meowth grinned madly. It was all coming together. It was now or never. "It's about time. Now's our chance!"

James gasped, "There they are!" Quickly, James sent his drone flying closer to the six Ultra Guardians. Finding a secure location, the Team Rocket trio scurried over to their last stop.

Watching the scene unfold, James saw that they were all settling down with beverages in their hands. Luckily for him, he was able to hear the conversation with the spying drone. James listened on intently.

"Ah. The Pokémon Paradise Resort is great!" Sophocles beamed brightly. The resort did not disappoint.

"How'd it go for you?" Mallow asked, sitting down on a bench next to Ash.

"Garchomp and Flygon are completely refreshed!" Ash said. The friendly swimming contest ended in a tie. Garchomp and Flygon were equally matched in speed.

Sophocles chimed in, "The oil massage worked great! I polished Metang until it was shining." He admired the ray of light shining off of Metang's body.

"The mud treatment made Dratini's skin silky smooth. But…" Lana held on close to Dratini's neck. "Something weird happened."

"Something weird?" Ash questioned. There was nothing particularly weird about the resort. Unless he wasn't paying close attention.

"We saw Sun," Lillie answered for Lana. A series of questions were directed towards them. "But it wasn't really him. He said it was his spirit."

 _'Spirit?'_ Ash was skeptical if it really was Sun's spirit. It wasn't that far out there. Crazier things have happened. But if it were his spirit, then that would mean that Sun was…

"Are you absolutely sure that it wasn't him?" Ash pressed on seriously. "If it was a spirit then that means that Sun must've lost the inner battle with Marshadow." A sense of fear loomed around the area. Everyone took in Ash's words to heart. One person in particular wasn't having any of it.

"No!" Lillie cried out. "Sun's strong! He'd never let a mean pokémon like Marshadow beat him! It's not his spirit and I'm not letting you change my mind!" She let others influence her mind in the past, and that led to a broken friendship. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. With that in mind, Lillie ran off as far away as she could from her friends.

"Lillie!" Lana, Kiawe, and Sophocles went after her.

Ash sighed and slumped his shoulders down. "Why do I always make things worse?" It sounded like a good idea to not talk at all. His words were only making people sad. It already happened with Mallow earlier.

Speaking of Mallow, she rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Ash. Your intentions mean well. It's just that Lillie gets really sensitive if the topic is on Sun. And you saying that Sun might be… you know. It really unnerved Lillie." She knew this firsthand. Mallow pushed Lillie's buttons to the limit with her constant jabs of Sun. They fought a lot because of this.

"I still feel like a jerk," Ash scolded himself. "I'm going to go apologize." It was the least he could do in this situation.

"I'll go with you." Mallow got up from the bench and hitched her crutches underneath her shoulders. She smiled as a sign of encouragement for Ash.

"Thanks." He coughed awkwardly and looked away. With Garchomp and Flygon, they set off to the direction that the others went.

"Interesting. Bzzt!" Rotom poked its hand on the mysterious drone that it found not far from them. It spotted the blinking light coming from the center. "Could it be a spying drone?"

James smirked and flicked one of the switches on the remote. A mechanical hand burst from the drone and snatched Rotom

"Ash! Help! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!" It kept buzzing for Ash's or anyone's attention. The drone smuggled Rotom in its grasp and carried it off discreetly.

"Talking pokédex acquired!" James pumped his fist to the air. He was promptly met with a smack on the head by Jessie.

"Get up! They're coming!" Jessie hissed. Out in the distance, James caught one of the twerpette's running towards them all alone. He quickly stood in front of their stand with Meowth.

Jessie tried to grab her focus. "Hello! Nice little kid over there!" To her displeasure, the twerpette ignored them and continued on. "Why you…" She clenched her fists. A dark cloud appeared above her head. "How dare you ignore us! We're calling you over! How ru-" Jessie was cut off when James put a hand over her mouth.

"Shh! The other twerps are coming!" James pointed to the three twerps approaching.

To ensure their stay, Jessie blocked their path. Wobbuffet and Mareanie helped Jessie out too, effectively becoming a roadblock.

"We are holding a demonstration of Pokémon health appliances right now! Would you like to give them a try?" Jessie asked kindly. She and James held the necessary appliances for authenticity.

Kiawe peered over Jessie's shoulder. "Actually, we're trying to find someone. We don't have time for your… health appliances." Lana and Sophocles nodded in agreement. Lillie was getting away.

"It's an exclusive event, just for today! You are incredibly lucky, dear customers! Now go right ahead," Jessie badgered them. By now, Mallow and Ash joined them, equally confused.

"Listen miss, we just want to find our friend." Ash begged them to let him and his friends pass. "We can check out your health appliances out later." Though, with the way the two employees were acting, Ash didn't want to go back.

 _'These twerps don't know when to give in.'_ Meowth thought in his head. Thanks to his superior intellect, Meowth was able to come up with a sneaky fib.

"Is your friend a girl with blonde hair?"

"Yes!" They all responded at once.

"Why, she went to go test out our new appliances. She said she was going to pick some out for her pokémon," Meowth lied swiftly. He motioned over to their stand with a fake smile.

"She did?" Mallow inquired, a little suspicious. In Lillie's condition, she wouldn't just stop and go shopping.

"That's right. Only customers can head inside." James added in. He had to give credit when it's due. Meowth was a genius.

"Guess we have no choice." Ash said. "Wanna try it then, Garchomp." Even if they had to, Ash was still going to ask for Garchomp's opinion. He wasn't going to force it to go.

Having no clue of what was going on, Garchomp decided to have a go out it. The three employees didn't give it any suspicions. It walked forward, unknowingly heading straight into a trap.

"Well then, dear pokémon, please come this way." James gestured the rest of the ride pokémon to follow Garchomp. Sensing no danger, they complied and followed their friend.

"Partners." Jessie put her hand out. "You wait over there."

"What? I thought this is how we can go check up on our friend!" Ash almost yelled. Now something was definitely fishy.

"Right there… don't move." Jessie grinned and pointed her health appliance at them. As it turned out, the appliance actually contained net. She shot it at the five, capturing them easily.

"Uwah!" Ash and his friends lost their footing and fell on the ground. The net was doing its job to keep them at bay. "What are you doing!?" This time, he didn't hold back the loudness in his voice.

"Ow!" Mallow was in more trouble as she landed on her cast. Her crutches dropped beside her.

"Mallow! Are you alright?" Ash panicked when he heard her cry of pain. He let out a sigh of relief when she weakly nodded.

Jessie didn't pay Mallow to mind. "When asked, _'Uwah! What are you doing?'_ "

"Let us tell you our names!" James continued in perfect sync.

Jessie removed her disguised and straightened her hair. "So re-energizing, you'll never grow old," She started. "A single flower of evil in this world: Jessie!"

"So empowering," James said in a calm tone. "You'll never get sick! The apostle of darkness fighting back against a tragic world! James!" He posed with pride.

Meowth began jumping. "Hot springs buns, coffee, and milk! Even in close friendships, an evil star shines with a golden glow! Meowth!"

The three came in all together along with Wobbuffet and Mareanie. "Team Rocket is here!" They finished their introduction in unison.

"You guys were Team Rocket?!" No matter how many times he's encountered them, across several different regions, Ash always fell for their disguises. "What are you playing at?"

Jessie sneered, "Isn't it obvious? We're gonna get every last one of your ride pokémon," She revealed. "With this super powerful electromagnetic net, we'll take your completely limp pokémon and-"

Using its impressive speed, Garchomp skidded forward and slashed the device in James' hand into bits.

"So fast!" The trio of misfits backed up considerably, fear present on their faces.

"Good going!" Ash cheered on his ride pokémon. The ride pokémon all glared at Team Rocket.

"They're completely re-energized and empowered!?" James gulped.

"They're hot springs buns?" Meowth croaked out. The three huddled up.

"Hey! This isn't what we signed up for! They're far from completely useless! They're brimming with energy!" Jessie snapped.

"The effectiveness of the Pokémon Paradise Resort is frightening!" Meowth admitted. He thought it was just all talk. He didn't expect for them to be stronger than they were coming in.

"Plan B!" James suddenly exclaimed. Just then, his drone was hovering towards them with a now unpowered Rotom in its mechanical hand.

"Rotom!" Ash couldn't bear the sight of Rotom without any signs of life. It was such an unfamiliar sight seeing Rotom's screen dark.

"Drop!" The mechanical hand dropped Rotom to the ground hard. It landed on its screen, cracking in the process. "Now fire at them!" James pointed to the alarmed group of ride pokémon. The drone spun around several times, extracting several gadget-like weapons. They were all massive in size. It hovered the weapons above the cowering ride pokémon.

Meowth and Jessie's jaws dropped to the ground with a clang. "Woah! Dial it down a notch!" Meowth advised his teammate. Any one of those weapons could harm the ride pokémon dangerously.

"My bad!" James pushed a button on his remote, retracting back the weapons into the drone.

"How can all of that even fit inside!? James, where did you get that thing!?" Jessie shrieked.

"I got it from some guy in an alley. Why?" James answered innocently. "Forget it. Shock 'em!" Pressing another button, the drone pulled out several large taser and zapped all of the ride pokémon. The power of the electricity could even rival that of a Pikachu.

The ride pokémon felt a thousand volts shock their bodies. They all collapsed to the ground, defeated.

"Excellent! Now seize them!" The drone brought more surprises with each command. It opened its top, popping out an electromagnetic net big enough for all of them to fit in. It floated up in the air, enclosing the net and shockingly lifting them all in the air.

"No!" The five Ultra Guardians couldn't believe what they were witnessing. Team Rocket wasn't playing games this time around. They were caught off guard at the worst possible moment. Now, Team Rocket might actually succeed.

Team Rocket jumped behind a couple of bushes. From out of nowhere, the infamous Meowth hot air balloon rose from the bushes with three cages attached below it.

"We're leaving! Ta-ta!" Jessie mocked them, laughing with James and Meowth at the accomplished plan. The drone followed the hot air balloon with the ride pokémon in its possession.

"I don't believe it! Pikachu!" Ash felt like his whole world was falling apart as he watched his and his friends' pokémon being taken away from them. To make matters worse, Sun and Moon's pokémon were with them.

"Wait a minute…" A small glimmer of hope sparkled in his eyes. "Ninetales isn't there!"

 ** _At the Play Area..._**

Ninetales never left the Play Area. No one noticed that she was still in the pool, swimming with the children. Ninetales herself didn't realize that her friends were kidnapped.

That was, until she could see them hovering above the sky from a distance with a huge hot air balloon carrying them in a cage.

Ninetales leapt out from the pool, much to the disappointment of the children. Her fur was all soaked. It made it hard to tell that it was Ninetales at all.

The fox pokémon shook her body left and right, causing water to fly everywhere. It did the trick since Ninetales' fur was as dry and elegant as before. Barking goodbye to the children, Ninetales sped towards the hot air balloon to go rescue her friends.

Along the way, she just so happened to run into someone she didn't like.

It was Lillie, and for some reason she was bawling her eyes out like a little kid. She was sitting on one of the benches while people around her awkwardly minded their own business.

Knowing she couldn't do it alone, Ninetales pushed back her grudge against Lillie. If she didn't, her friends could all be gone. Ninetales sprinted to the bench and pawed on her bare feet.

"W-what?" Lillie removed her hands from her face, exposing her puffy red eyes."N-ninetales? What are you d-doing here? I-I thought you hated me," She said in between sniffles. Lillie had her bag next to her. She was planning to call it off early and go home by herself. The blonde haired girl was dressed back into her usual attire.

Ninetales howled and pointed up to the sky. Lillie looked up, not sure what to expect. She gasped and fully stood up when she gazed upon the Meowth hot air balloon and the pokémon in cages.

"They even got Decidueye…" Lillie whispered to herself. "We got to save them!" It was then that Lillie realized that Ninetales was already resuming her chase. "R-right! No time to waste!" Wiping the remaining tears from her face, Lillie followed Ninetales in pursuit of Team Rocket.

The two eventually reached the area where Ash, Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles were. Lillie momentarily stopped.

"G-guys! I'll help-"

"No!" Ash denied her offer. "You got to go stop Team Rocket before they get away!" He urged Lillie to go on ahead. Lillie gave him a firm nod and continued her trek.

 ** _Up in the air..._**

"Untie me, behemoths! I'm going to fine all three of you to oblivion!" Moon threatened them. She was stuck in the hot air balloon with the members of Team Rocket.

James snatched back his expenses accessories from Moon. "No way! We're going to dock you for information on Sun. Then maybe we'll think about letting you go."

"What do you want with my Sunny!?" Moon thrashed all around, trying to squirm her way out of the rope.

"That for us to know you for you to not find out," Jessie snarked. She laughed obnoxiously with James and Meowth joining in too.

"Hey!" A voice called out to them from below. Jessie, James, and Meowth peered down to see Lillie keeping up with the same pace as them. "Let all these poor innocent pokémon go!"

"There's still another twerpette left?" James frowned.

"We forgot about her when she ran off and ignored us," Meowth grumbled. "Besides, what can she do? There are no pokémon to help her get us all the way up here!" He was bopped on the head by Jessie.

"You fool! There's a Ninetales with her!" Sure enough, there was a Ninetales running next to Lillie.

"Relax. Ice-type pokémon are the weakest out there. We're safe up here," Meowth reassured his pink haired teammate.

Moon recognized Lillie's voice and starting to scream to grab her attention. "Blondie! Ya gotta rescue me! They got me tied up!" A piece of tape was slapped across her mouth, shutting her up.

"Moon too?" This fired up Ninetales even more. She barked, waiting for a command. "Right! I gave you guys a chance to surrender peacefully. Ninetales, use Ice Beam on the cages!" Lillie commanded the fox pokémon.

Ninetales fired her Ice Beam four separate times for each cage and the net. It froze the material. Team Rocket watched on nervously.

"Now use Ice Shards to break the ice!" Ninetales unleashed numerous amounts of Ice Shards from her mouth and spread them out between the cages and net. The icy cages and net broke, releasing the captured pokémon. A new problem arose as they were all now free falling to the ground.

"Catch them, guys!" The pokémon capable of flying and the ride pokémon managed to grab at least one non-flying pokémon each. Altaria caught Pikachu, Togedemaru, Poipole, and Glaceon. Garchomp had the heavyweights, Turtonator and Blastoise on its back. Charizard had Marowak, Charjabug, and Slowking. Tsareena, Mr. Mime, and Jynx were on Dratini. Flygon carried Lycanroc and Hypno. Metang had Snowy and Torracat. Decidueye held onto Alakazam with his talons. Lastly, Froslass grabbed Sandslash, though it did hurt with the sharp quills on his back.

There was still one person missing.

"Ninetales, Ice Beam again but this time on the balloon itself!" The Meowth balloon was soon frozen. With it, Team Rocket and Moon began to descend to the ground.

The ride pokémon tried their hardest to land on the ground fast to drop off their pals and then go save the falling people. Not even Flygon and Garchomp were fast enough for this.

"Ah!! Activate saving mode!" James repeatedly mashed on one of the buttons on the remote. The drone produced a landing pad below them. Jessie and James carried Moon and jumped off the hot air balloon, followed by Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Mareanie. They safely landed without any real harm done. The hot air balloon was a different story.

"We got you now, Team Rocket!" Lillie shouted. The free pokémon all glared at Team Rocket with fury.

"Retreat!!!" Jessie, James, and Meowth were ready to escape until a force knocked all of them down at once.

"Grr… that ought to teach you!" Moon huffed, wiping the dirt from her hands. How she managed to get out of the ropes was anyone's guess. It was just Moon being Moon.

She didn't get a chance to hit them some more as a Bewear hopped from a bush and grabbed Team Rocket and the drone in its arms. Without another word, Bewear raced out of their in a heartbeat.

"Eh?" Moon scratched her head. "Meh." She shrugged. She had better things to worry about. "You guys!" Moon hurried over to her pokémon and gave them each a hug.

"We're here!" Kiawe, Lana, and Sophocles rushed towards their pokémon as well. They got out of the net a few minutes after Team Rocket and Lillie left. Ash and Mallow were behind, taking their time when they saw that everyone was okay.

Ash was holding Rotom. He kept on pressing the on button but nothing worked. Rotom just wouldn't turn on and talk. The crack on the screen was a big one.

"Professor Kukui will know what to do!" Ash told himself. He safely hugged Rotom and continued walking with Mallow.

"We did it!" Lillie celebrated. She waited for Ninetales to say something. The fox pokémon merely stared at her for a full minute before barking and regrouping with her friends. "Well, at least it wasn't an angry bark." It was something. Slow progress at the most.

Snowy approached Lillie with something in her mouth. She dropped it so Lillie could get a better look at it.

"What's this?" Lillie picked up what appeared to be an expensive ring. There was a button on the side. Curious, she pushed it. "Woah!" Lillie fell on her side, surprised to see the hologram of Sun standing in front of her.

"Is that Sun?" Ash questioned. He and the other got closer to inspect Sun.

"It's the spirit from earlier!" Lana said. "How'd it get here?" She attempted to touch it but her hand went right through Sun.

"This ring…" Lillie paused when Sun said the same exact words she said at the same time. "Hello?" The hologram mimicked her greeting. "My name is Sun. Decidueye is my partner." Sun repeated her words, earning a giggle from Lillie.

"Team Rocket must've dropped this ring when the hot air balloon crashed. They were the ones trying to trick us!" Lillie informed them, mainly Lana who was there with her. "How did they even get something like this?" Team Rocket was able to get every single detail of Sun on this double. Even they weren't that smart to create something like this.

"Ooh! Can I see?" Sophocles pleaded. The new invention intrigued his interests.

Lillie seemed to have ignored him and continued to get the hologram to say things. "My Meowth is a lot more playful than Team Rocket's Meowth. He likes to meow a lot too!" A cheery smile graced upon Lillie's lips as she experimented with the ring.

"On second thought, you can keep it." Sophocles changed his mind. Seeing Lillie so happy was good. He'd feel bad if he took it from her. Not everything had to be tinkered with.

"So Moon," Kiawe started. "How did you get caught by Team Rocket?" He chuckled when Moon got visibly angry and stormed off with her pokémon. "Her pride certainly does match up with Sun's." Even before the Team Skull drama, Sun liked to keep his dignity intact. That also meant not admitting to any kind of embarrassing thing that he did. He'd always pin the blame on someone else.

"Where'd did she get those?" Ash asked out loud when he got a glimpse of the golden accessories around her neck. "Anyway, listen Lillie. I just want to say that I'm sorry for acting so inconsiderate. I should've known better than to put any negative thoughts in your head. This was supposed to be a day for the ride pokémon and us to relax. All I did was cause panic. Can you forgive me for my slip up?" He requested softly.

He didn't blame Lillie if she didn't. That's why he was going to improve his social skills and think before he said something. It was just like what he discussed with Mallow while they were cheering at the pool. To be more kind, more sincere, more caring, more-

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Lillie dismissed the apology with a hand wave. Ash's jaw slacked by how much she seemed like she didn't care about his heartfelt apology. "Lillie is my best friend in the entire world!" The blonde haired girl smiled brightly when the hologram of Sun copied her words. Ninetales, Froslass, Glaceon, Vanilluxe, Sandslash, and Decidueye gathered around the hologram of their trainer. They were amazed to see him.

"Let her have her fun, Ash. She deserves it just as much as we all do," Mallow said with a wide grin. Ash smiled back, elated for some reason.

Lana, relieved that the whole spirit thing was false, spoke. "We should all go to the flower baths! I hear they are lovely."

"Sure!" Everyone was on board with the idea.

"Lillie, you can play with that ring when we get home. Come on!" Kiawe said, causing Lillie to blush lightly.

The six Ultra Guardians laughed and headed to the flower baths together with their pokémon.

 ** _At night..._**

"Looker! Looker!" A lanky, sweaty man came barreling into Looker's office, startling him. He was holding a piece of paper in his hands.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Looker rolled his eyes and continued to do his paperwork. Two of the best agents went rogue and one of their promising rookies too. That caused a lot of problems to rise and that meant more paperwork.

"The papers! The ones that those agents brought over before they went rogue. It's from the Team Rocket organization. They had the strange codes on them. We managed to crack them down." His voice was full of panic. "It's not good!"

Looker scowled, "Out with it then! Stop stalling!"

The man said nothing. He only slapped the paper on Looker's desk and bolted out the door. Looker shook his head and grabbed the paper to see what all of the fuss was about. With his other hand, he lifted his mug of coffee and took a sip of it as he read the decoded message.

Looker spat out all of the coffee from his mouth. His eyes almost bulged out of his sockets when he read the final bits of it.

It had a date. That date happened to be tomorrow. With the date were some chilling words that made Looker run out of his office and get his best men and women.

The note read:

 **Alola will be under our control. SEIZE All!**

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Long Author's Note: Long Second Author's Note: Originally, I thought I could manage with the chapter a week schedule. But the past few weeks haven't been kind to me. The next chapter won't take as long but I also don't have a specific day for it to come out. I still got last chapter to edit for errors. Onto the story itself, Mallow's broken foot might be healed by Oranguru like she suggested. I don't want it to be broken for so long. Team Rocket's warning on the note is a set up for the next chapter. The International Police force will also interfere in the Necrozma arc, creating more problems for the Ultra Guardians. Hau and Moon will be there to help fight off Necrozma and the returning possessed Sun. James' drone sure packs a punch and I'm planning on him keeping it for a while. The next chapter will be a build up for Necrozma's arrival like in the anime. Stay tuned._**


	21. The Radiant One

**_Author's Note: This update didn't take me as long as before. I think the semester's is just sucking out the motivation I have for this story. I can barely find time to work on this. I mainly work on weekends, and the new time slot works good for me. I won't abandon this story, it'll be done once the new season ends. Speaking of the new season, I'm in love with the new opening already! It brings many questions to the table as well as Hau, and what I assume to be Ash's Eevee. The first two episodes of the new season are ones that I might cut. They don't really serve a purpose in my story, no Pikachu Valley or Masked Royal appearances. I'm going to fill that with the episodes that I skipped, which are episodes seventy nine and eighty._**

 ** _Onto the story itself, I've been feeling that I completely ignored what the story was originally supposed to be about. It was supposed to be about Ash being a stronger trainer and the Alola League. I sorta drifted away from those topics even though it's in my story description! After the Necrozma arc, Ash being a better trainer storyline will continue. In fact, this chapter has a part where Ash has an epiphany about his status as a trainer. The Alola League, I'm not too sure of. I'll probably just wait until the anime announces what the deal with it is. With that in mind, a change story summary is needed. It took me a while to come up with one so it'll probably be changed by the time the next chapter is uploaded._**

 ** _In this chapter, there is a battle in it. I also altered the original ending so it'd fit in with Sun's inclusion. Looker, Team Skull and Rocket are involved too. There will be some moments of OOC but it'll be explained in the second A/N. I kinda feel like Lillie should be the next focus during these next couple of chapters to focus on her relationship with Sun. At the same time I feel like it would be a bit too much attention on her. I'll figure it out by then._**

 ** _If you read this far then ya must really care about the story. This is a longer beginning author's note but it was to explain the story more. I appreciate the reviews and the support. Don't know how much times I said it but I'll say it again, thanks. With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter._**

 **xxxxx**

It was an unusually dark and gloomy morning. It was different than the typical bright and sunny mornings of Alola. Something big was going to happen and no one knew it.

Ash Ketchum was walking to the Pokémon School with his Pikachu and Poipole. Rotom was still out of commission for the time being. Ash had just came from a strange encounter with Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet.

For once in his Alola visit, Ash witnessed the sight of Professor Kukui wearing a shirt! That's not all. He also had buttoned up his lab coat too. The professor claimed that it was _'too cold'_ and he needed the extra article of clothing.

Professor Burnet was also acting weird. She didn't want to go to the ocean today. Instead she chose to observe the pokémon in their aqua tank at home.

"I hope the professor doesn't act like this during class," Ash said to himself. Pikachu gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, you're right buddy. Professor Kukui is serious when it comes to education." Ash remembered that Mallow told him Kukui threatened to expel her over not participating in his game show. Whatever that meant.

Eventually, Ash arrived at the Pokémon School and went up to the top floor where the class was. Entering in the room, Ash saw that Sophocles was already there in his seat. For some reason, Sophocles appeared distraught.

"Alola!" Ash greeted cautiously.

"Alola…" Sophocles responded weakly. He groaned unhappily. "Man, I'm so hungry…" To further prove his words, Sophocles' stomach rumbled loudly.

"Didn't you have breakfast?" Ash asked. It was surprising to hear that Sophocles was hungry. He'd never miss out on any meals.

"No." Sophocles recalled back ten minutes ago. In his mind was an image of him standing in the living room while his mother was sleeping on the couch. "Mom overslept for once."

"Really?" Although Ash didn't know Sophocles' mother well, he could tell that she was one of those adults who get up early on the morning.

Just then, Mallow, Kiawe, and Lana walked in the room. Mallow looked more peeved than the rest.

"Alola!" Ash greeted the three as well.

"Hey, Ash. Listen to this." Mallow set her crutches down and took a seat next to Ash. "Dad didn't do any of the usual morning chores today, saying he didn't feel up for it! He knows I can't do much in my condition, yet he still decides to be lazy!" Mallow huffed, feeling her anger boil up.

Kiawe nodded. "Same here. I had to work like crazy to finish taking care of the pokémon before doing my deliveries." Tending to the many Mudray's was hard work. It didn't help that his little sister was begging him to help out too every few seconds.

Lana took her seat and set her Popplio on her desk. "Me too. Dad didn't go out fishing, he was just lazing around at home." Lana was miffed that her father was just laying there. She got to see him every now and then whenever he came home from one of his fishing trips. Now that she thought about it, he didn't know that Moon was crashing at their home.

"For real!? Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet were acting weird too!" Ash exclaimed. It wasn't just him who had a strange morning.

"Weird? How?" Lana asked. Sure the professor acted weird occasionally, but it was an eerie coincidence that most of the adults were acting up.

"Well…" Ash started but stopped when he heard the professor come in.

"Sup," Was all Professor Kukui said to his students.

"Just like that." Ash shook his head. It looked like the professor was going to continue acting weird.

"Professor Kukui, it's not sup, it's Alola!" Mallow reminded the professor.

"Oh right." Professor Kukui casually brushed off their questions and continued, "Um… I was going to hold a class on the Manalo Festival. It'll be held during the total solar eclipse in two days." He had a faint sneer on his face. "Discuss it yourselves!" The professor grunted and headed out the room.

"B-but… professor!" Kiawe protested.

"Get Sun to help you or something. He's a good egg." Professor Kukui was out of the room before anyone else could say another word.

"But Sun isn't…" Kiawe sighed. There was no doubt that something was up now. Professor Kukui couldn't have possibly forgotten about the Sun situation. Kiawe took charge and rushed to the front of the classroom. "We have no choice! I will tell you about the Manalo Festival!"

"Good! We're counting on you!" Ash cheered on his classmate.

It was then that Kiawe finally noticed an issue. A big one to be exact.

"Ah! Where's Lillie!?"

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

At the mansion, Lillie was sleeping soundly in her bed. She failed to wake up when her alarm first went off. That was about an hour ago now. Putting in extra training after they arrived back to Melemele Island was taking its effect.

"Put Nebby back in the bag, Sun..." Lillie muttered Sun's name as she flipped to her side in her sleep.

Lillie only did finally wake up when Snowy bounced from her own mini bed to Lillie's bed. Snowy let out several yips and barks so she could awaken Lillie. After a full minute, Lillie stirred from her sleep and lazily opened her eyes. She gasped when she saw that she was an hour late for school.

"Oh no! Professor Kukui is going to be really upset that I'm missing class!" She tumbled out of bed and quickly headed to the bathroom.

Five minutes have passed and Lillie came barreling down the stairs now fully dressed. In the living room, Hobbes was sluggishly laying on the couch. Sun's pokémon were surrounding him, their eyes filled with worry. The pokémon initial thoughts were that Hobbes went senile and needed to be taken to a nursing home.

"Hobbes! Why didn't you wake me up!? Now I'm late for school!" Lillie partly put the blame on Hobbes too. He was usually the one who woke her up if she couldn't do so by herself.

"Meh," Hobbes yawned. He waved her off. "Have fun at school."

"B-but…" Lillie wanted to further argue on the topic at hand. Hobbes was never this rude to her during the time that she knew him. Though, time was ticking and Lillie had to go to school. She didn't want to be more late than she already was.

"We're going to have a talk about this later." Lillie turned to the pokémon. "Come on guys! We need to get to school fast!" Not waiting for a response, she bolted out the door and ran as fast as her feet could take her to the Pokémon School. She didn't bother riding in the limousine as it would take longer.

Snowy looked at Ninetales, confused by her trainer's behavior. Ninetales shrugged and beckoned Snowy to join them. The seven pokémon raced out of the house to catch up with the distressed Lillie.

 ** _At Lana's House..._**

Moon was having a similar morning. The only difference being that she intended to sleep in. She growled when the sound of children laughing woke her up. If there was one thing Moon loved other than Sun, it was sleep. She tried to tune the laughing out but realized that the laughing was getting louder.

"That's it!" Moon furiously tossed the covers from her body and storm out of the guest room. Upon making it to the living room, she was greeted by a man on the floor with a blanket over him.

Harper and Sarah were busy giggling as they were playing with the tired man.

"Come on, Dad! Get up and play with us!" Sarah pulled on his exposed hand.

"Yeah! Play! Play!" Harper jumped on her dad's back.

"Dad?" Moon had been living with Lana's family for a while now and she never once had seen her father. "Why's he so tired?" Moon shrugged off the suspicions for now and went straight to the dining room. She sat in one of the chairs at the table and waited.

"Just waiting for my breakfast," Moon said to herself. She impatiently drummed her fingers on the table. She expected Lana's mother to be handing out breakfast by now. "Ugh!" Moon got up and marched towards the twins and their father.

"Listen up you brats! Where's your mother and breakfast!?" Moon demanded, not caring if she sounded harsh.

Luckily, Harper didn't seem to detect the bitterness in her voice. "Mom's still sleeping! We tried to wake her up but we couldn't do it!"

Sarah added in, "Yeah! So now we're trying to wake up dad!" She snuggled up next to her father. "I think Lana said something about picking up breakfast along the way to school."

Moon contemplated on whether or not it'd be a good idea to leave Harper and Sarah by themselves with the lazy parents. In the end, Moon decided to stay at the house. She didn't have any real reason to go visit the school. Plus, she was still mad at the Ultra Guardians for being mean to her towards the end of the day yesterday.

"I guess I can whip up some cereal in the kitchen…" Moon wasn't much of a cook herself. She usually relied on food in local town food places and from Sun's mother. After getting her cereal, Moon took the bowl with her to the couch and put her feet on the table. She grabbed the remote and turned on the television.

"Wow…" Harper and Sarah stared at Moon in awe. Their mother never let them watch television in the morning, or take their food to the couch, or put their feet on the coffee table They envisioned Moon has some sort of hardcore rebel. It was different than the honest and well-behaved Lana.

"Don't put your feet on the table… whoever you are…" Lana's father said weakly. He continued to lay there, much to the twins disappointment.

"Let's hang out with Moon!" Harper suggested to her twin.

"We can break the rules with her! Mom and Dad are too sleepy to do anything about it!" Sarah pointed out mischievously. The twins sat on Moon's left and did their best to put their feet on the table. It was pretty difficult due to their height but the twins managed to have their feet on the table.

"Whatcha watching?" Sarah asked.

Moon glanced at them. A glint of annoyance flashed through her eyes. "Origins. It's about Battle Legend Red and his path to becoming the best pokémon trainer out there. I'd appreciate it if you let me watch it in peace."

Being the chatterboxes that they are, Harper and Sarah ignored her request and kept asking questions about the show.

"Why can't there ever be a quiet morning?" Moon grumbled, eating her breakfast slowly.

 ** _At the Pokémon School..._**

"I-I'm here!" Lillie burst inside the doorway to the classroom. She collapsed on her knees and took several deep breaths. All that running had exhausted her.

"Lillie!" Kiawe, Sophocles, Lana, and Ash went to go check up on the blonde haired girl.

"Why were you so late?" Kiawe questioned her. He had paused the lesson for a while to see if Lillie was going to come in. He went on with the lesson soon afterwards. He couldn't wait for any longer.

"I-I overslept…" Lillie panted. "Hobbes was awake the whole time and didn't wake me up!" It confused her as to why Professor Kukui wasn't in the classroom with them. The good news was that he may not know that she was an hour late after all!

"You too?" Ash thought about the situation. It seemed like all of the adults were being lazy today.

Kiawe put his hands on his hips. He sent off a disapproving stare towards Lillie. "That's no excuse for being late, Lillie! You have to wake up on your own. Professor Kukui is going to hear about this!" He scolded his classmate. No one was going to miss out on valuable education and get away with it on his watch!

Lillie hung her head down low and nodded. From behind her, she could hear Sun's pokémon laughing at her misfortune. Lillie's face turned a deep shade of crimson red from the embarrassment.

"Now where was I?" Kiawe snapped his fingers. "Oh yes. Ahem. The Radiant One-"

"The Radiant One?" Ash interrupted Kiawe's lesson. Kiawe discreetly gritted his teeth as his class was once again distracted. He wondered how Sun managed to teach the class so easily.

"You know of it?" Mallow asked Ash. He wasn't all that familiar with Alola's history since he was born in Kanto. Hearing that he actually knew about the Radiant One made Mallow question just how much he knew of it.

"Yeah," Ash replied. "You remember Acerola, right? She told me about it on Ula'Ula Island. She had a whole library and everything!"

Back when Sun was still around, he and Moon left Ula'Ula Island. Ash stayed to complete his trial with Mallow also staying as company. Ash went back to Acerola's house a second time with Mallow and pleaded to crash at her place again.

Then it got real mysterious when Acerola agreed. She told them in exchange that they would need to tell her everything they knew of Sun's life when he returned to Alola. There wasn't much to be said, other than Sun training him, Sun becoming teacher for the day, Sun almost leaving Alola, and Sun's sneaky behavior during the beginning of the trip on Ula'Ula Island.

Actually, that was a lot to be said.

Acerola had a smile on her face the entire time. It only morphed into a deep frown when Ash mentioned that Sun was hiding something. She was relatively calm about it, making Ash believe that she expected that.

The conversation between them stopped when Ash asked about their past relationship, leading to Acerola running into her room in a hurry.

 _'Sun didn't want to talk about it either. He ran away too.'_ Ash remembered back when Hau tried to get Sun to talk about it. He uttered the words, _'You can't hide from her forever!'_ There was some deeper secret between Sun and Acerola as they feared just talking about their past relationship.

"Right!" Mallow's voice snapped Ash out of his thoughts. "Rotom showed me a picture that he took from one of the books." This occurred when Mallow and Rotom were reviewing the photos of Sun's secret lists. "I hope Rotom gets better soon." She mentally wished Rotom a speedy recovery.

"Poipole drew a picture of the Radiant One not too long ago too," Ash chimed in.

"Why would it do that?" Kiawe inquired, losing interest in the lesson for the moment.

"We don't really know." The six students got closer together as they discussed about the Radiant One.

"I've heard about the Radiant One, too," Lillie added into the conversation. Her earlier humiliation vanishing. "Back when my mother was still young, my grandfather would tell her the legend of the Radiant One to help her sleep. And in the same way, mother told the legend to Gladion and I." An image of her younger self eagerly listening on to her mother's story flashed in Lillie's mind.

"I see!" Ash was amazed how Lillie's mother kept the tradition going with telling the story of the Radiant One before bed.

To everyone's surprise, Lillie quickly frowned. "Later on, Sun told us about the legend during one of our sleepovers."

Sophocles' eyes widened. "Oh yeah! I remember that! He seemed to know a lot about the Radiant One judging by how passionately he talked about it."

Lana joined in on the brief memory. "Didn't he say that Acerola taught him that? Just like Ash."

Sun and Acerola met each other when they were around five. Sophocles invited Sun to go to Ula'Ula Island with him to go visit the Hokulani Observatory and his cousin. Sun had gotten a bit lost and bumped into Acerola. From then on, the two exchanged stories that they knew, forming an early friendship that eventually turned into something more years later.

"Sun said he was going to find it and take over the world with it," Mallow said with some venom in her voice. She took a moment to take in what she just said before she felt her heart almost stop. "You don't think…"

Kiawe, who was standing awkwardly as they reminisce the past, caught on to her words. "No. Not even Sun can catch something as legendary as the Radiant One. No one can in a million years."

"I don't know…" Sophocles mumbled. "We don't know the limit to Marshadow's power." If Marshadow had the ability to make Ultra Wormholes than it has the potential to cross paths with the Radiant One.

Seeing everyone's downcast moods, Mallow decided to change the subject. Kiawe was right after all. "Hey, I'm a bit fuzzy about the legend itself. Could you tell it to us?" She asked Lillie. It was a lie. She knew the story by heart because of how much Sun liked to bring it up.

"I guess…" Lillie shook away her jitters. "The Radiant One appeared on Earth and filled the world with its overflowing light. The light was filled with a mysterious power, and our Alola region was born."

"After the Radiant One had depleted all of its light." Sophocles took over the storytelling, not that Lillie minded. "It turned black and entered a long, deep slumber. The the emissaries of the sun and moon appeared, and shared their light with it."

Then it was Lana who continued the story, "Awakened from its slumber, the Radiant One shone once more and flew off to the ends of the sky. The end," She finished with a smile.

"First time I've heard the story," Kiawe said with a hint of jealousy. He was the only one out of the six who hadn't heard about the story of the Radiant One.

"What are these emissions of the sun and moon?" Ash questioned.

"They're Solgaleo and Lunala. I recall that they were in the picture in one of the books that Sun got from Acerola," Mallow answered his question.

"What about the ends of the sky?" Ash fired another question.

"That has to be the other side of the Ultra Wormhole!" Lana replied confidently.

Kiawe's eyes widened. "Does that mean that the Radiant One still lives on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole?" Kiawe wondered out loud. His mind went blank when he processed what he said through his mind.

 _'Sun somehow was on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole too.'_ Kiawe thought. His earlier skepticism was beginning to dwindle away.

"Assuming that it isn't just a fairy tale, that could be it," Lillie responded honestly.

 _'Please let it be a fairy tale.'_ Kiawe pleaded in his head.

"The Radiant One, huh?" Ash trailed off when Poipole flew near the balcony and stared off at the dark sky. He went over to stand next to Poipole and looked up at the sky too, trying to see if it saw something.

Kiawe clapped his hands. "That's enough storytelling for today. Everyone back to your seats right now!" He barked. Everyone scampered to their seats, slightly afraid of Kiawe.

"Now." Kiawe held up a big book in his hands. "You'll each be getting fifty pages of homework out of this textbook. It'll be due at the start of class tomorrow. Get to it!" He threw a copy of the textbook at each of their desks.

Ash blinked several times. "You're kidding, right?" Surely Kiawe was just messing around. The new attitude came out of nowhere.

"Are you testing my patience, Mr Ketchum? That's ten points from Hufflepuff!" Kiawe snapped.

"What…?" Ash was even more confused than he ever was before.

"Ten more pages of homework for you!" Kiawe changed his mind. "No! It's fifteen pages now for giving me that look!"

"What look!?" Ash sputtered. "Ugh!" He slammed his face on the textbook on his desk.

Lana looked at the cover of the book titled: Fantastic Pokémon and Where to Find Them. Opening the book, she could already tell that it was far more advanced than any of the other things that they went over in class.

Mallow spoke up for the class. "What's your deal, Kiawe? Why are you assigning us so much homework?!"

"Because the professor put me in charge," Kiawe replied as he puffed his chest out proudly.

"No he didn't! You just put yourself in charge! Anyone can do that!" Mallow countered. She didn't like Kiawe's new attitude and she planned to put an end to it.

"That's only because I'm the most qualified person to do it out of everyone here!" Kiawe boasted. Just about everyone was offended by that comment.

"If Sun and Moon can teach a class all on their own than how hard can it be?" Mallow pushed Kiawe out of the way. "I'll be in charge and guess what? No homework! You can throw the textbook right out the window." Mallow's smile fell when Ash literally threw his textbook out the balcony. "Ah! Ash! I didn't mean actually throw the textbook outside!"

"Oops." Ash slowly hid under his desk to hide his embarrassment.

"Aha! See! You already have a misbehaving student! I wouldn't let anyone get into trouble on my watch!" Kiawe declared arrogantly.

Lillie watched as Kiawe and Mallow argued back and forth. Although Sun could never match Professor Kukui's teaching skills, he was more than capable of handling a class. Unbeknownst to Lillie, she and Moon had similar ideas.

 _'Maybe I can impress Sun with my teaching skills.'_

"If I may." Lillie stepped forward, surprising everyone. "I think that I'd be more suitable for the role. I know a lot about Alola." Professor Kukui often called on her because of her high intellect. If anything, she'd be better to teach a class.

"You!?" Kiawe snorted. "The girl who was an hour late for class wants to be in charge? Give me a break!"

Mallow jumped in, "Kiawe's right! You're the least qualified out of us, Tardy Marty!" She focused in on Ash and smiled deviously. "You want me to be in charge, right Ash?" She hoped that Ash would take her side.

Ash sweatdropped. "You want me to choose?" He scanned the three of them carefully. "I… I guess I do." He gave his vote to Mallow.

"Score!" Mallow motioned him over to her desk. "I got someone on my side!" She bragged.

"Uh…" Kiawe set his eyes on a perplexed Sophocles. "Sophocles! You're on my side, right? Bros before h-"

"Um… sure," Sophocles cut him off. It wasn't like he had something against Lillie or Mallow. Lillie was late for school and Mallow could be a bit bossy. Sophocles didn't find himself fit for the job as he felt too weak from the lack of breakfast. Kiawe seemed to know what he was doing. This led to Sophocles standing by his side.

"Lana?" Lillie's eyes begged for Lana to be with her.

"I-I…" Lana hung her head down. "I don't know…" She didn't want to choose between her friends. Even if Lillie was begging for her to join her, Lana declined.

Mallow grinned. "Head on over to my side, Lana. If you do, then that's the majority vote for my favor." If Lana agreed to make Mallow the teacher, then she'd have two people. Kiawe only has one and Lillie had none.

"No! If you pick me then I won't assign any homework to those who picked me!" Kiawe quickly proposed.

"Hmm…" Lana was slightly tempted by his offer.

"Ah!" Mallow realized that only an offer can swoon Lana over to her side. "I'll give you five free meals at the restaurant! No charge at all!" Free food was way better than no homework for one day.

Lillie narrowed her eyes slightly. "I can arrange for you to get a lot of poké dollars! You can buy that new fishing rod that you have your eyes on." Money beat both free food and no homework. Money can make anyone happy.

"Maybe all three of you can teach?" Ash suggested.

"No!" Mallow, Kiawe, and Lillie shouted at Ash. Ash cowered in his seat. Sophocles quietly back away from the three.

"Come on, Lana. Make a decision," Mallow said sternly.

Lana backed up against the wall as Mallow, Kiawe, and Lillie approached her. They all had cross expressions on their faces. Kiawe cracked his knuckles. The sound of it cracking echoed across the classroom. Mallow took out a spatula and slapped it against the palm of her hand.

Lillie noticed all of this happening and realized that she didn't have anything. Scanning the floor, she found a pencil and picked it up. She grabbed a pencil sharpener from a desk and started to sharpen her pencil. Lillie now held a spiky sharp pencil and silently threatened Lana with it.

"Just pick someone and you won't get hurt!" Ash advised her from the other side of the classroom.

Lana was trembling madly. To think that her friends could be so cruel just to be teacher for the day! Not only that but if she chose one of them, then the rest would be mad. She weighed in her options and finally made her choice.

"You know what?" Lana placed her hands on her hips and glared at the three. "I'm the only one who's actually beat Sun in a battle other than Ash. He doesn't want to be in charge. Sun was a good teacher and since I beat him then that means I'm the most qualified candidate out of all of you!" Lana yelled with a lot of emotion in her voice.

Mallow, Kiawe, and Lillie stared at her, dumbfounded.

Mallow quickly recovered. "That doesn't make a load of sense! What does beating someone in a battle have to do with teaching!?"

"Sun was never a good teacher to begin with!" Kiawe argued.

"Don't talk about Sun like that!" Lillie huffed. The four of them continued to bicker, oblivious to their current surroundings. Ash and Sophocles hung around the other side of the classroom. They watched on worriedly.

"It'll be alright," Sophocles reassured Ash. "I mean, they can't argue for so long."

 ** _Later..._**

"I can't believe they've been arguing for so long," Sophocles grumbled. He was sitting in his desk and rested his chin on his hand. Out of the four, he had to admit that Lillie brought up the most credible points.

Ash busied himself by playing with the pokémon. During that time, his and Sun's pokémon got more acquainted with one another. He listened on to the others arguments and acknowledged that he only picked Mallow for an embarrassing reason. In truth, she wasn't really suited to be teacher. That title would have to go to Lillie.

Speaking of Lillie, she was currently fuming over how much they kept dissing on Sun's teaching abilities. She secretly wished that she had brought the ring with her. She was in such a rush in the morning that she completely forgot about it.

 _'I might as well give up.'_ Lillie saw no point in arguing over the position anymore and walked over to the balcony. Lana, Kiawe, and Mallow were too busy fighting to notice. The blonde haired girl put her hands on the railing and looked up at the general area where the sun should be if not for the dark clouds.

"Even when you're gone, we are still fighting over the most ridiculous things," Lillie said to no one. "But when you're here, everyone teams up on you. Granted, they get along but it still hurts to see you suffer their wrath."

Lillie unclipped the z power ring from her wrist. "I know I will never be as good as you, Sun. Not even remotely close. I can't even get your pokémon to like me. I'm hopeless," She sighed and laid the z power ring on the railing. "I should just leave it to Ash. If you saw that much potential in him then he can be the one to beat you."

She turned around to see Snowy and Sun's pokémon look at her with no emotion present on their faces. "You'll probably hate me for choosing Mallow instead of you. Can we still even be friends? It's like the world wants us to be apart. I just want to be by your side, Sun. Is that too much to ask? Then I can be truly happy again..." Lillie finished her little self pep talk and wiped the tears away from her eyes. Her self esteem was dying down with each day that passes. Sure, she's declared many times that she'd get strong to beat Sun, but… she had shown no progression towards that goal. Lillie needed something to give her the confidence boost that she so desperately needed.

Suddenly, the school bell starting ringing, indicating that it was time for lunch. The three students stopped raising their voices and had exclamation marks appear above their heads. They all gasped.

"It's lunch time!" Kiawe said, losing the anger in his voice. He rushed over to his bag to get his meal.

"Lunch!" Kiawe and Lana joined together to arrange the six desks so that they were all close to together. They sat down and placed their lunch on their desk.

Ash, Sophocles, and Lillie gaped at them with their eyes as wide as saucers. They were just fighting not even a minute ago. Now they were acting as if nothing happened.

"Come on guys!" Mallow beckoned them over.

Ash grinned, happy that there was no more issues. "Right!" He grabbed his lunch and went over to the desk next to Mallow. Lillie and Sophocles were a bit hesitant but joined them regardless.

"Ughhh…" Sophocles groaned. He didn't have lunch either. He lay his chin on his desk and clutched his rumbling stomach. With the way things were going, he might miss dinner too. The thought of missing a day of eating brought shivers down his spine.

Lillie didn't say anything. She came to the Pokémon School empty handed.

"Sophocles, you mean you don't have lunch either?" Ash said, astounded.

Sophocles' face couldn't have been more sadder. "Yeah… my life is over…" Sophocles muttered. Togedemaru and Charjabug were also feeling the effects of eating nothing. More so the former than the latter.

"You too, Lillie?" Lana noticed Lillie's lack of lunch as well.

Lillie sighed, "I was in so much in a rush in the morning that I forgot to grab my lunch from Hobbes. I doubt he made it anyway." Snowy sat next to Sophocles' hungry pokémon. A frown was present on her muzzle.

Sensing his friends disappointment, Ash decided to do something about it and stood up. "Alright! In times of need, we'll keep each other from Stunfisk! Mankey! Mantine!" Ash mimicked his face and body to match those of the pokémon that he mentioned.

Sophocles lazily gazed over to Ash's direction. "What are you doing? That just makes me more hungrier…"

Mallow deadpanned, "It's Principal Samson's vaunted pokémon gags. Have you lost it too?" She shook her head, mildly concerned for Ash's state of mind. Ash caught this and slowly sat back down.

"N-no!" Ash stuttered. "It's Alola! Sharing!" He passed over some of his lunch to Sophocles.

"Alola what?" Lillie wasn't there for that portion of class and was awestruck when everyone began to share their food for her and Sophocles.

"Thank you, everyone!" Sophocles thanked at the verge of tears. Pikachu smiled at their good deed and had the same idea in mind. He picked up some of his food and offered it to Togedemaru, Charjabug, and Snowy. Soon, all of the other pokémon got up and offered their pokémon food too.

Togedemaru was in tears as she stared at the pile of pokémon food in front of her. Charjabug let out a happy buzz now that its food problem was resolved.

On the other hand, Sun's pokémon watched on. An expression of disgust was seen on their faces, except for Decidueye. The mere thought of sharing was preposterous to them. Sun had spoiled them a bit too much. They were grouped up near the balcony, far away from the other pokémon. Their food was slightly more expensive looking than everyone else's.

As it turned out, yesterday, Professor Kukui went over to Sun's house. He had no clue that it was a dangerous place to be at the time. The professor borrowed some pokémon food that Sun packed for his pokémon. He promised to himself that he'd pay Sun back for it. Professor Kukui brought it to his house and informed Ash to bring it to school and give it to Sun's pokémon.

"Lunch time!" Everyone cried out happily. Though, Lillie was less enthusiastic than the rest. She had a lot in her mind.

Sophocles gleefully took a bite of the food that Ash gave him. "It's great!"

Lana spoke up, "Alola, Manalo."

"Huh?" Both Ash and Lillie didn't quite get what Lana said.

"Ah! Yes!" Ash quickly remembered the lesson from earlier today and nodded his head. Lillie recalled hearing about it but wasn't one hundred percent sure in herself.

"We will share and live together!" Kiawe recited his statement from earlier. His friends murmured in agreement and they all started to eat in a peaceful silence.

Lillie eat of few of her friends' food as it would be rude to not eat it. She started to eat slowly and then stopped. Lillie frowned and stared at her lap with a conflicted expression on her face.

"You alright, Lillie?" Ash asked his friend, concerned that she wasn't eating.

"No," Lillie said, surprising everyone. "I'm not okay." She stood up and dragged Ash up from his desk. He almost choked on his lunch as this was happening.

"W-woah!" Ash almost lost his footing but managed to hang on. "No need to get physical!" Ash slightly shivered in fear as Lillie was glaring at him with intense fury. "What?"

"Ash…" Lillie clenched her fists and had her head down. Her head snapped up and she pointed a finger to the boy. "I-I... I challenge you, Ash, to a pokémon battle!" She challenged loudly, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Eh!?!?" Ash pretty much had the same reaction as everyone else in the classroom, pokémon included. "M-me!?"

"Yes you. Who else is called Ash?" She said maliciously.

"Hold it!" Kiawe stepped in. "Why don't we all just take a deep breath here. Just calm down, Lillie." Kiawe tried to place a hand on her shoulder but was roughly pushed by Lillie.

"I don't need to calm down. I know what I want and that's to battle you!" Lillie repeated to the stunned Ash.

"Just take a minute to think about what you're saying-" Mallow was cut off by the blonde haired girl.

"What!? Do you think I don't have what it takes!? You think I'm weak, don't you?" Lillie narrowed her eyes when Mallow looked away, ashamed.

"No one is calling you weak, Lillie!" Sophocles attempted to lighten the situation. "It just came out of nowhere. You're not usually the battling type."

"Do you really think you can beat Ash with Snowy?" Mallow added in quietly.

"I'm not using Snowy." Lillie once again shocked everyone with her next words. "I'm using Sun's pokémon." As expected, there was a round of outbursts from her friends.

"B-but… why? Why now?" Ash chose his words carefully so he wouldn't upset Lillie.

"Why can't I?" Apparently, Lillie still took it as an insult. "Why won't you just say yes? You think you're going to win so easily? I never took you for the arrogant type, Ash!"

Ash raised his hands up in defense. "I'm not arrogant. It's just that… that…" He couldn't come up with an excuse to save himself. Shaking his head, Ash made up his mind. "Fine. I accept your challenge. Just remember that we tried to warn you."

Lillie didn't respond. She gestured the pokémon to follow her before heading out of the classroom.

Decidueye exchanged glances with Ninetales. They both nodded and led their teammates and Snowy go follow Lillie. Surprisingly enough, no one objected.

"Aw man…" Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't know about this guys."

Mallow pursed her lips. "You shouldn't underestimate Lillie, Ash. You weren't here at the time so you can get a pass but Lillie's a lot smarter in battles than you think," She revealed truthfully.

"There's no one that knows Sun's pokémon better than Lillie. Not even Hau knows them as great as she does," Sophocles piped in.

"But they're not her pokémon!" Ash protested. "Why does she want to battle me with pokémon that aren't even hers?"

"With the amount of time that she and Sun spent together, I wouldn't be surprised if people didn't consider them her pokémon," Mallow said before sighing. "Look Ash, just battle her. She hasn't been in the best of mood today. If this is what she wants then do it for her."

Ash was still hesitant. "But I would rather battle Sun's pokémon if he was the one I'm battling. It's one of my goals to beat Sun." Ever since the day he lost to Sun, Ash has made it his mission to defeat him. Granted, they already had a win over each other but that was only with one pokémon. Sun had a full team, if Ash battled him with his team, there was some doubt in him that he'd be on the losing side.

"Ash." Kiawe, Lana, and Mallow crossed their arms. "If you don't go battle Lillie right now, you'll be assigned one hundred pages of homework!"

"Ah!" Ash yelped and raced out of the room. His pokémon followed him out the door.

"Geez." Sophocles sweatdropped. "Did you really have to threaten him with a lot of homework?"

"Of course," Kiawe responded. "We're still in school after all. Now come on, we have a battle to watch!"

 ** _Outside the Pokémon School..._**

The Ultra Guardians were now at the front of the school. Lillie and Ash were standing far away from each other. Kiawe, Lana, Sophocles, and Mallow were at the sidelines, ready to watch the battle take place.

Sophocles ate some of the lunch that he didn't finish. "Ash technically only has four pokémon on his side. I don't think he'll let Poipole in on the action," He said in between bites.

Lana nodded. "That means Lillie has to choose four and leave two out. It wouldn't be a fair battle if she used all six of them," She noted.

"Whatever the case may be," Mallow interjected. "Whoever wins will prove to us who the person leading Sun's rescue will be. No offense to you Kiawe, but if you have a couple more pokémon on your team then you'd fit in that role too."

Kiawe waved her off. "I understand. Two pokémon will only get me so far. Anyway, it looks like the battle is about to start!" He pointed to the battlefield.

Ash nervously shuffled his feet. "Last chance Lillie. You can back out at any time. Nothing to be embarrassed about." He tried to convince Lillie to change her mind.

Lillie merely shook her head. "No." She dug through her dress and pulled out a hair band. She brought it up to her long blonde hair and tied it into a ponytail. Lillie stared at Ash with a determined appearance. "Stop stalling, Ash! Y-you won't win so easily." She tilted her head down. "This is for you, Sun," Lillie whispered to herself. "Decidueye! You're up first!"

Decidueye squawked and flew towards Lillie.

"W-woah!" Ash reeled back slightly. Lillie was going big already. "Rowlet! Get ready!" Rowlet cooed and stood at the opposite side of Decidueye.

The battle went underway.

 **Ash vs. Lillie!**

"Lillie's starting out with Decidueye first. That's very interesting considering that he's Sun's main choice for battles," Kiawe uttered in disbelief. It was no secret that Decidueye was Sun's best pokémon. Froslass was a close second.

"Ash has overcome bigger obstacles! He can find a way to win this!" Mallow exclaimed, clenching her fists tightly

Ash gulped. "Rowlet, use-"

"Leaf Storm!" Before Ash can say his command, Lillie quickly cut him off. As fast as the speed of light, Decidueye was in front of Rowlet and unleashed a barrage of sharp leaves in his face. The impact was strong and sent Rowlet flying in Ash's arms.

"Coo…" Rowlet had swirls in its eyes as it rested in Ash's arms. The whole battlefield went silent as Ash was down one pokémon in mere seconds.

"W-what?" Ash choked out. He couldn't believe it.

"Oh no. This isn't going to turn out good whichever way you see it," Sophocles muttered.

"Switch! Vanilluxe!" Lillie called Decidueye back and sent Vanilluxe into the battlefield.

"Uh… T-Torracat! Go!" Ash returned Rowlet back into its pokémon and brought Torracat into the fray. It had the type advantage. He knew he couldn't afford to dwell on the loss that Rowlet suffered for too long.

"Keep your distance!" Lillie advised Vanilluxe. The snowstorm pokémon calmly floated left and right.

"Knock him down with Flame Charge!" Ash shouted, regaining his confidence. Torracat's body was surrounded by fiery flames. It let out a cry as it began charging at Vanilluxe with high speed.

"Ice Beam!" Vanilluxe's two mouths shot out beams of ice that meshed into one. With its superior speed, Torracat dodged the multiple Ice Beams coming its way. The fire cat pokémon rammed its fiery body into Vanilluxe, sending him down to the ground hard.

"Yes!" Ash cheered. "Get on top of his body and use Scratch!" Torracat hopped on top of Vanilluxe's fallen form and scratched both of his faces back and forth. Vanilluxe cringed as he took in every one of those Scratches to both of his faces.

"Blow wind in its eyes!" Vanilluxe blew a gust of icy wind in the eyes of Torracat. Torracat growled and got off of Vanilluxe. It rubbed its eyes with its paws in an effort to restore its vision.

"She even plays dirty like Sun," Mallow said quietly to herself. Sun was always known to use underhanded tactics every now and then. It was frightening to see Lillie battle the same exact way that Sun did.

"Now use Blizzard!" Vanilluxe's two mouths were outlined in a shiny blue color. He let out a powerful barrage of snow, hitting it directly at Torracat. Before the fire cat pokémon knew it, it was encased in a block of ice.

"Follow it up with Ice Beam!" Seeing Torracat beginning to free itself with its own fire, Lillie acted quick to prevent this. The Ice Beam connected with the block of ice. The blast sent Torracat spiraling backwards.

"Torracat!" Torracat shook its head and got back up. It was lightly scraped but not too damaged as it was resistant against ice-type moves. "Good. Stay out of Vanilluxe's way for now."

"Hmph. Use Flash Cannon!" Vanilluxe's body started to glow a light blue color. The snowstorm pokémon shot out a white beam of energy that was surrounded by light blue energy on the edges.

"Dodge it!" Torracat swiftly rolled to the side. The Flash Cannon missed its target. "Run up and hit Vanilluxe with another Scratch!" Torracat sprinted forwards and its claws lighted up. It lunged at Vanilluxe and slashed his left face. Vanilluxe backed up in an attempt to recover. "Don't stop! Fire Fang!"

"Get out of there!" Unfortunately for Lillie, Vanilluxe was too dazed to even move. Torracat released a fiery fang-like fire from its mouth and aimed it at Vanilluxe. The fang neared Vanilluxe's body and chomped its jaw on him. The ice-type pokémon lost his balance and landed on the ground.

"Finish this with Flame Charge!" Ash ordered. Torracat smirked and engulfed its body in flames. It darted to Vanilluxe and rammed its body to his fallen state. Vanilluxe soared through the air and landed hard on the battlefield. In the end, he had swirls on both pair of eyes.

Lillie's eye twitched. "...you did well. Get a good rest." Since she didn't have their poké balls, Froslass went in the battlefield and carried Vanilluxe to the sidelines."

"Way to go!" Ash praised his pokémon. His confidence was back in full force. Torracat looked back at Ash and smiled.

"Ash still has a shot at this!" Mallow cheered. The battle with Rowlet had been bad, but this one made up for it.

"Lillie has that look in her eyes." Sophocles pointed to Lillie. It was eerily similar to when Sun got serious in battle. "She's like the girl version of Sun!"

"Wouldn't that be Moon?" Kiawe mused. He ignored the blank stares that he received. "You guys weren't kidding when you said Lillie was smart in battles. I don't think I've ever seen her in this type of situation."

Mallow frowned a bit. "Yeah, well… you have Sun to thank for that."

"I wonder who Lillie will choose as a counter pick for Torracat," Lana thought out loud.

Ash examined his pokémon carefully. "You sure you want to continue?" Torracat meowed in confirmation. "Alright! Now we just have to wait for Lillie." Secretly, Ash hoped that she didn't send Decidueye in. Even if he did have an advantage against him, Ash felt like it wouldn't be enough to land a hit on him.

"Hmm…" Lillie scanned the pokémon ready for battle. After a few seconds, she decided. "Go and beat Torracat, Sandslash!"

The mouse pokémon nodded and scurried over to the battlefield. Torracat got into battle stance once it saw its next opponent.

"Start this off with Metal Claw!" Sandslash leapt forward with his metal-like claw in position to strike.

"Counter it with Scratch!" Both Torracat and Sandslash were in the air as they attacks collided. As soon as it did, it was clear who was more stronger. Sandslash did a spin and smacked Torracat's cheek with the side of his claw. He quickly used his other claw to hit Torracat spot on in the face. The fire cat pokémon went barreling to the ground.

"Ice Ball!" Sandslash spewed out a ball of ice and threw it at Torracat. It landed amd exploded on its back and Torracat winced painfully. "Follow it up with another Metal Claw!" Lillie shouted.

"Block it!" Torracat got back up and tried to block the attack by protecting its head with its paw. Sandslash landed in front of Torracat and began a flurry of Metal Claws. For the most part, the fire-type pokémon blocked all of his attacks but it was starting to feel worn down.

Torracat meowed loudly and pushed Sandslash back. It jumped and its right paw flared red. It hit Sandslash square in the jaw, knocking him back.

Ash gasped, "It learned Revenge!" His pokémon were each learning a new move because of Sun's pokémon. Rowlet learned Razor Leaf, Lycanroc learned Stone Edge, Pikachu learned Electro Web, and now Torracat with Revenge. "Ah! I should focus! Use Flame Charge!"

"Get an Ice Ball ready and stay still," Lillie quietly said to Sandslash. He understood and faked still being hurt by turning around and clutching his head. He silently brought out an Ice Ball and held it with his claws.

Ash was feeling giddy as he watched Torracat about to take down the weakened Sandslash. What he and the others didn't know was that this was all a part of Lillie's plan.

Torracat inched closer with Flame Charge still active.

"Now!" Lillie yelled, surprising Ash. Sandslash turned right back around and heaved the Ice Ball at Torracat's face. The force caused Flame Charge to disappear and Torracat laid on its back. It cried out in pain from the Ice Ball. "End it with Icicle Crash!"

Striking its claws in the air, a large cloud formed above Torracat's body. It then dropped multiple icicles down on Torracat. After the move was finished, Torracat groaned in pain as it was knocked out.

"You did good, Torracat." Ash returned Torracat back to its poké ball.

"That's minus two pokémon now for Ash," Kiawe commented. "I can't help but think Ash is out for the count. Sandslash dominated most of that match."

Mallow scowled, "Have more faith in Ash! I believe he can still turn things around."

"Come back, Sandslash." Sandslash did just that and went back to the sidelines. "Decidueye, wrap this battle up!" Everyone gasped as Decidueye was sent back to the battlefield. Lillie wasn't showing any mercy.

"I like Ash but this…" Sophocles paused. "This might be too much. If Nanu was a stick in the mud for him then I don't think Ash has much of a chance."

"We can still root for him," Lana suggested. The four exchanged glances before yelling out cheers directed towards Ash Ketchum.

"Hehe." Ash's cheeks heated up as his friends cheered for him.

"Hmph." Lillie didn't care if she received any cheers or not. Winning was her only mission right now, not being a fan favorite.

"She's going with Decidueye… then that means I have to go big as well! Pikachu! Go show Lillie and Decidueye what we can do!"

"Pika!" Pikachu went forward and onto the battlefield. He gazed upon Decidueye's bored eyes. Pikachu clenched his teeth, clearly not happy that his opponent didn't see him as a threat.

"Pikachu, huh? I was hoping for Lycanroc," Lillie mumbled under her breath. It would have certainly put her at an advantage if it was Lycanroc.

"Alright, Pikachu! Use I-"

"Grass Knot!" Like the first battle, Lillie had managed to catch Ash off guard by interrupting him.

Decidueye slammed his talons into the ground. A larger Grass Knot came from under Pikachu and wrapped itself around his whole body. The electric-type tried to struggle against the attack but that only made the Grass Knot tighten.

Pikachu was defenseless as Decidueye towered over him. Decidueye flicked his talons on Pikachu's forehead. He mocked him and started to taunt Pikachu in his own language.

"Hey!" Ash directed his attention to Lillie. "There's no need for that!" He growled. A taunt to his pokémon was a taunt to him.

Lillie crossed her arms, unfazed by his words. "Continue on, Decidueye." Decidueye smirked and slapped Pikachu's face with his talons.

"Why is Lillie acting like this?" Kiawe inquired worriedly. The nicest girl in the class was acting like a bully now.

"It's because of Sun. He's a bad influence and now she's acting like him during battles!" Mallow fumed. She was angry that Sun corrupted poor Lillie like that.

Sophocles shook his head. "It's not that. Look. Lillie's eyes." True to his words, Lillie's eyes were getting teary. She attempted to keep a straight face but failed to do so.

"Lillie?" Ash called out to her in concern.

"Ugh!" Lillie rapidly shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Just finish it already." She turned her back to them.

Decidueye scanned Pikachu's form one final time before scoffing. He sighed and released the Grass Knot.

Pikachu was mildly shocked by the sudden act of kindness. Not even a second later, Pikachu turned furious and went in to attack Decidueye with Iron Tail. He wasn't going to let Decidueye humiliate him and get away with it!

In a matter of a second, Decidueye disappeared, leaving a dark shadow on the ground. Pikachu landed all on all fours and tilted his head left and right. The shadow moved behind him and Decidueye reemerged from the shadow.

Pikachu grunted as Decidueye pummeled Pikachu to the ground by stomping his head. He kept a firm grip on his body by keeping him in place with his sharp talons.

"Let him go, Decidueye," Lillie's cold voice said. She heard the commotion and had a good view of the entire scene. Decidueye ignored her. "I said. Let. Him. Go." Her icy glare shockingly caused Decidueye to flinch. Nevertheless, Decidueye scowled and reluctantly let Pikachu go. Though, not before giving him one final kick.

Lillie continued, "Don't even think about continuing or bringing out Lycanroc. I forfeit this battle. I got what I needed," Lillie announced, already making her way back inside the school. Sun's pokémon followed with Froslass still carrying Vanilluxe.

 **Winner - Ash!**

"Why?" Ash lowered his head. Disappointment wasn't even the word to describe how he was feeling right now. This wasn't the Lillie he knew. This was exactly was he was afraid to battle her.

He knew deep down that he was going to lose.

It wasn't like Ash to feel this way. Usually he'd be super excited about battling and accepted defeat when he knew that he made a mistake. This time was different. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the weather conditions. Or maybe he had something in his eye. Or perhaps the days prior to yesterday were getting the better of him.

Maybe since he knew it was because he's a weak trainer.

Ever since Sun arrived to Alola, Ash had been experiencing a strange new feeling. The feeling of being powerless. The first day of Sun's arrival, Ash had lost against his Ninetails. Then it was Lycanroc versus Vanilluxe, which ended in a draw. After that, Pikachu and Froslass squared off in Ash's favor. It was the boost that he needed at the time. But that's when it started to go downhill.

He did beat Nanu during the Grand Trial, but before that could even happen, Ash battled against Moon in what seemed like a losing effort. But then she forfeited. Ash knew that he would've lost if it wasn't for that.

Then came the first botched Ultra Guardian mission. They had lost Sun both mentally and physically while also losing two Ultra Beasts.

Following that was the second failed mission. They were on the losing end until Stakataka intervened.

Finally, this takes Ash back to today. He only won because of a forfeit. Something that he hated because it didn't feel right. Especially now since Lillie was on the verge of winning.

Things were only turning up when Sun was training him.

 _'Sun… Sun! He'll help me deal with this! At this point, I think he's the only one that can.'_ Ash had to admit that Sun was the best person in Alola to help him get stronger. Sun had said that he'd help him get stronger the first day that he met him too. It was a perfect plan! Even if it might be dangerous. Although, there was one problem.

 _'I can't ask straight away. I don't know how damaged his mind is. He'd probably want to be left alone.'_ It would be best if he didn't push Sun too hard. Moon told him that he wouldn't be the same when he came back. The thought of his friend hurting emotionally sent a sense of dread through his body.

 _'I have no choice. Being a patient trainer is important too! I need another pokémon to complete my team and with the master ball, I have to get the strongest pokémon here. I've come up short in the last six regional leagues that I participated in.'_

Ash looked up at the dark grey sky. _'I should be smarter… a better trainer who's learned from their mistakes. Not some trainer that constantly slips up at every opportunity. I can't keep doing this. I want to be better than Gladion, Moon, Lillie if she ever gets her own team, Kiawe, Hau, and most definitely Sun. I want to be the very best… like no one ever was. I want to be a Pokémon Master and take this whole world by storm!'_

"You okay, Ash?" Mallow asked, snapping Ash out of his self motivational inner speech. Somehow, she had managed to get right behind him.

"Yeah… yeah! I'm okay," Ash replied with a distant tone.

Lana joined them. "Are you mad at Lillie? I'm sure she didn't mean to do what she did." Or so she thought. Lana wasn't really sure what Lillie's deal was during the battle.

"Chin up, Ash. You put up a good fight." Kiawe gave him a thumbs up in an attempt to cheer him up.

"Besides, those were Sun's pokémon. They're a force to be reckoned with. Lillie was just leading them. In a way, she didn't almost beat you fairly." Sophocles cringed at his own words. It wasn't the best choice of words to say.

Ash walked towards his steaming Pikachu and gave him a hug. Pikachu cooled off a little as he accepted the hug. Being the only one up, Lycanroc came to their aid and offered its consolation. Poipole flew over to them and patted Pikachu on the head.

"I'm not mad at Lillie. No, far from it actually. I hope she found whatever she needed. I know I did." Ash smirked, confusing his friends and pokémon. "Heh. I believe I finally found an answer."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, the school bell began to ring fast. This only meant one thing.

"That's the Ultra Guardian dispatch call!" Mallow exclaimed. A small part of her was nervous because she had to tell Lusamine about her injury. Mallow didn't know how the president of the Aether Foundation would react.

"We have to get to the classroom straight away!" Ash helped Mallow travel faster while the rest barged back inside the school.

What no one saw was the grey sky turning darker than it had ever been before.

 ** _Somewhere in the middle of the sea..._**

Meanwhile, far from Alola, there was a helicopter flying in the air. There was a big red **'R'** on the side, indicating that this was none other than Team Rocket.

Inside the helicopter was Matori and the Matori Matrix. She had been assigned by the big man to go and investigate Alola for their target. Yesterday, members Jessie and James provided very usual information for their search for the boy, Sun.

 _'They're finally being useful for once,'_ Matori mused in her head. Standing next to her was Gozu, an Elite Officer in the Team Rocket organized. He was highly intelligent and proved to be strong in battle because of one thing that was the ultimate weapon.

Then there were three initiates who were controlling the helicopter. Finally was an Alolan Meowth, who knew more than it let on.

Matori turned her head to the side as an incoming transmission came on. It was there boss, also known as Giovanni. He only allowed a number of selected individuals refer to him as such. Those who weren't privileged with that had to call him boss or sir. Matori as always, kept a cool demeanor while he spoke.

"How's the situation?" Giovanni asked.

"Sir, it seems like an Ultra Hole has indeed opened. Though, it is a small one," Matori responded politely. "Which means there's a chance that our target might appear." For the first time in a while, Sun wasn't their number one priority. No, they had something way bigger in mind.

"I see." Giovanni nodded. "So there's a chance that this might be that Radiant One I've heard about?"

"I don't know. Figuring that out would be my mission, would it not?" Matori retorted. Her usual sharp tongue coming into play. And to the boss no less!

Giovanni chuckled, "I expect great things from you. Just be on a lookout for that Looker."

"Yessir!" The transmission ended. Matori turned her attention to Gozu. "Gozu. How far off is the Alola region now?"

"We'll be there momentarily," Gozu told her.

"Do it."

"Optical camouflage," Gozu said to the initiates. The Team Rocket helicopter magically turned invisible to the human eye. Not magical per say, but more like technology working at its finest.

"These people have no idea what's going to really happen."

Meanwhile, the International Police Force were all spread out in Poni Island. Looker was ordering men and women around and assigning them to a certain location.

"Boss… er I mean, Looker!" One of the rookies waved her hand up in the air. "The Ultra Wormhole detector is going through the roof here. But… we can't see it!" She informed him.

Looker observed the area and had a questioning look on his face. "Interesting. That traitor could find it in a minute, yet you all can't as a group?"

The female rookie froze. "B-but sir! We're trying our best!"

"Your best isn't cutting it. Find me that Ultra Wormhole, right now!" Looker yelled, causing the rookie to yelp and run away. "You there! Get me my coffee right now!" He barked at another anxious rookie. "Ay ay ay. Can't any of you hold your own? Did those two traitors carry this entire force in their own? Show me why I recruited you!!!" Everyone present scrambled all over the place.

Looker shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is going to be a disaster. With Team Rocket coming their way, we need more back up to fight them off." He didn't know how many were coming to Alola. All he knew was that they were coming for an important reason that couldn't be overlooked.

Just then, a trio of people wandered around the area. They were dressed in black and had a face cover that covered their mouths. There was a lanky blue haired man, a short one, and then a pink haired woman. The necklace with a silver **'S'** embedded in them was a huge giveaway of their identities.

"Team Skull, huh?" Looker couldn't resist the smirk forming on his face. "Hey, you three! This area is strictly off limits. Leave at once!"

The female rolled her eyes. "What did ya just say to me?! Big bro! Did you hear him?"

The blue haired man seemed like he didn't care. "Hush, Rapp! We're here under the bossman's orders. You don't want to disappoint Big J, right?"

 _'Big J?'_ Looker thought to himself before face palming. _'Oh no. Don't tell me that idiot escaped from jail.'_

"Yeah!" The shorter one of the trio cried out. "Long live the return of the almighty Jenercocio! Everyone, attack!!!" Out of nowhere, dozens of Team Skull grunts popped out of the rocks and surrounded the perimeter.

"All troops head back to Delta! I repeat, head back to Delta! We got company!" Looker shouted to his walkie talkie. There was a decent amount of people with him at the moment, but they were still heavily outnumbered.

"I have to lead these idiots myself in the meantime." Looker grabbed a poké ball from his coat and faced Team Skull.

"You're all going down!"

 ** _At the Ultra Guardians base..._**

The Ultra Guardians made it to their secret base. Ash led the team since Professor Kukui was absent. His Torracat and Rowlet were badly bruised from the earlier battle. Lillie kept her distance from the five. Her previous cross expression still present. Vanilluxe had recovered and was out and about. Though, he grimaced every so often from the pain he endured from the battle.

Clefable was there, pointing up to the screen above.

The screen turned on, revealing an empty chair with no Lusamine in it. Not even Professor Burnet or Wicke were there by her side.

"Eh?" The Ultra Guardian blinked, unsure of what was happening.

"A-alola…" A hand came up and rested on the table. "Ultra Guardians… are you ready?" Lusamine lifted herself up into view. She bad bags under her eyes and her hair was messily disheveled.

Lillie narrowed her eyes at her mother. "Mother! What are you doing looking like that? Don't you know how bad you're making me look when you're not properly groomed? Honestly," She sneered.

 _'Yikes!'_ Sophocles awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, finding interest at the floor.

Lusamine either didn't hear Lillie's harsh tone or just didn't care. She shrugged lazily. "I guess. But… that's such a pain though."

"Ugh!" Lillie groaned. She stopped paying attention to her mother and tended to Vanilluxe.

"Everyone, head for the Altar of the Sunne on Poni Island on the double," Lusamine said, twirling a lock of her messy blonde hair.

"Has another Ultra Beast appeared?" Kiawe asked curiously. If the trend of Sun appearing whenever an Ultra Beast appeared, then this could very well be their chance to finally save him.

"I'll tell you the details when you're there…" Lusamine trailed off, sleepiness overcoming her mind.

"E-excuse me." Mallow spoke up. It was now or never. "My foot is broken. I was just wondering if there's any way I can help out in my condition." She'd feel upset if she couldn't. Mallow wished that she could help her friends during this mystery mission.

"Ah yes..." Lusamine yawned. "Lillie told me about your situation yesterday. Not to fret… I came up with a solution. Its been… its been something I've been planning for a while."

A period of silence soon filled the area. Mallow for the most part was relieved that Lusamine came to their aid.

"Okay… see you there." Everyone, minus Lillie, gasped loudly and almost lost their balance. "Something the matter?" Lusamine drawled out.

"You're supposed to deliver a cool finishing line!" Sophocles reminded to her.

Ash smiled widely. "This is my chance! I've wanted to do this! Ultra Guardians, move out!" He ordered excitingly.

"Ult-Roger!" Kiawe, Sophocles, Lana, and Mallow shouted in unison.

As for Lillie, she was already out the base and near the place where the ride pokémon are. She had one goal in mind.

 _'This is my chance. Sun has to be here! I'll prove to him… no I'll prove to everyone that I can be strong enough to save him!'_

Lillie boarded her Altaria with Snowy and took off without her teammates. She wasn't going to go let them get in her way. Even if they were all aiming to save Sun, Lillie wanted to be the sole person to save him. Then she can the satisfaction that she had so desperately been yearning for.

To beat Sun.

It wasn't a competitive goal in mind. She wanted to beat Sun and get Marshadow out of his body once and for all. Lillie didn't necessarily beat Ash, but she knew she would have if she wanted to. She merely just didn't want to embarrass Ash any longer.

 _'Here I thought Ash was actually a strong trainer.'_ Lillie didn't care if she was being harsh right now. She heard about Sun training him when he came back. Lillie believed that Ash would've picked up a thing or two from him. She was able to and here she was, just as good of a trainer as Sun. Though, they weren't her pokémon. If she were to get her own team, Lillie would be a worthy rival.

Lillie didn't take Ash's feelings to consideration. She forfeited was she realized that Ash wasn't what she made him out to be. There weren't any other powerful trainers she knew.

Actually, there were two. One was Hau, but he didn't want anything to do with her. Then there was Moon, but Lillie didn't want anything to do with her.

As Altaria was taking her to Poni Island, Lillie couldn't help but think about the island itself.

It was the last island she, Hau, and Sun visited during their Island Challenge. Sun and Hau's grand trial had to be put on hold because Poni Island still had to find a Kahuna. The previous one had unfortunately passed away several years ago. The position hasn't been filled since.

Hau left Poni Island for two reasons. One was that he didn't want to wait until a new Kahuna was granted the title. It would take weeks. The other reason was because his grandfather, Hala, requested that he come back home for a while. It was quite heartwarming when Hau told them that Hala had missed him being around.

Lillie traveled with Sun around Poni Island. They stumbled upon Malie City and went to the local library. That was when the two came across Hapu, a girl around their age. When she found out that Sun was a trial-goer, Hapu told them that she was fighting hard to be appointed Island Kahuna since her grandfather was the previous Kahuna.

Being the nice person that he is, Sun offered to help Hapu. The three of them went to the officials in charge and asked how they can prove to them that Hapu should be Island Kahuna. One of the men there said that she would have to battle one of their strongest representatives with Tapu Fini watching. If Tapu Fini approved of Hapu, then she'd get the role.

Sun and Hapu trained together for the days leading up to the trial. In the end, Hapu managed to beat the representative and gained the blessings of Tapu Fini. Hapu had Sun be the first person to challenge her grand trial. Sun came out on top and had beaten all four Island Kahunas after that. Lillie and Sun stayed one more day with Hapu before returning back to Melemele Island.

"I wonder if Hapu is still around." With the many trips taken to Poni Island, mainly the Altar of Sunne, Lillie hadn't caught a glimpse of Hapu. She wondered why Hapu hadn't been seen more in public.

After a few more minutes, Lillie arrived at the rocky part of Poni Island and landed at the altar. Her mother, Professor Burnet, Wicke, and Faba were there.

"Hello mother," Lillie greeted her mother as she got off of Altaria.

"Thanks for coming." Professor Burnet waved her hand. "Where are Ash and the others?" She asked, finally noticing their absence.

"I don't know," Lillie responded, not meeting their eyes.

"Lillie…" Lusamine did her best to appear mad. "You know you have to cooperate with the whole team."

Lillie clicked her tongue. "You're not the boss of me. I can do what I want." Lusamine wanted to protest but all that came out of her mouth was a yawn.

"Don't be so hard on the child," Wicke said tiredly. "See, the rest of the Ultra Guardians are right there…" She pointed a finger up. True to her word, the remainder of the Ultra Guardians were preparing to land there ride pokémon.

"Professor Burnet is here too." Ash was glad that she decided to stop laying around in the house. His eyes landed on Lillie, who quickly distanced herself from the team. Sun's pokémon shielded her, preventing anyone from getting close.

"Great. Everyone is here. The seventh one should be here any moment." Lusamine's comment caught the Ultra Guardians attention.

"Seventh one?" Mallow whispered, a small ounce of fear sinking its way in her body. "Am I getting replaced?"

A large gust of wind came from above. Everyone watched a ride Noivern settle onto the ground. The person riding it made the Ultra Guardians gape.

"Big brother!" Lillie gently put down Snowy next to Ninetales and ran up to Gladion to give him a hug.

"Lillie." Gladion returned the gesture quickly before pulling away. "Are you okay? You have that look in your eyes." He stared into Lillie's eyes, catching the malice in them.

"That doesn't matter," Lillie dismissed the topic, much to Gladion's suspicion. "Why are you here?" She asked, eyeing his new outfit.

Gladion ignored her strange behavior. He was going to have a talk to her about it later. "Silvally is frightened. If the cause is an Ultra Beast, then it must be the most dangerous one yet."

Lillie's eyes lit up. "An Ultra Beast?! Do you really think it can-" Gladion put his hand up, silencing her.

"I'm not sure. That's why I'm here as back up. Mother has filled me in on everything that has happened. Even… even about Sun." Gladion developed a deep frown as he continued, "My question is why haven't you told me sooner? I could've been there to help, Lillie."

"I-I…" Lillie was caught off guard by the question.

"But now he's turned into a psychopath. That darn pokémon is doing a number on him. He can never catch a break. Sun…" Gladion sighed heavily. "This all could've been prevented if you asked for my help. Why haven't you? You know I'm the only one who can match his strength, Lillie!" Gladion's voice grew a little louder.

"I-I… b-but…" Lillie's eyes started to tear up.

"Hey!" Ash stepped in, defending Lillie. "We work as a team. Together we can combine our power to compete with Sun!" He spoke for the entire team. Gladion had offended him greatly.

Gladion glared daggers at Ash. "Oh? And where has that got you, Ash? You had two chances to stop Sun and you blew it. Do you even care about the state he is in? If you did you wouldn't have taken your sweet time to track him down. All you've been doing is going to some resort to relax while Sun is fighting for his life right now!" Gladion got up into Ash's face, anger present on his face. "Stay out of this. This only concerns Lillie and I." Ash was taken back by how cold Gladion's tone was. He would never be so hard on his sister.

"Now kids… don't fight…" Lusamine intervened. "With Lillie's new support, I… I have faith in her to stop Sun…" Her sleepiness got in the way of her words, making them sound less powerful.

"New support?" Gladion's eye twitched when he spotted the z power ring on Lillie's wrist. Then his eyes drifted to Sun's pokémon, who were glaring at the blonde haired boy.

"Take that off," Gladion demanded.

Lillie backed up from her brother. "W-what a-are you…" She yelped when Gladion suddenly grabbed her arm.

"I said… Take. That. Off!" Gladion hissed. "No one but Sun can wear that. Just because he isn't here doesn't mean you can wear it. Sun's hurt and this is partly your fault to begin with! I could've stopped him of only have you called me in the first place. I thought you liked him a lot, Lillie? You're only just hurting him. I knew I should've stayed to keep an eye on him. I'm going to ask you one last time. Take that off!!!" Gladion yanked on her arm, causing Lillie to scream in pain.

That's when Sun's pokémon decided that it was time to interfere. Ninetales howled and pounced on Gladion, knocking him down. The rest of Sun's pokémon all jumped in while Lillie ran to her mother for safety.

"Gah! Get off of me you stupid fiends!" Gladion growled.

"There… there… Lillie. Gladion is just having one of his… his brooding mood swings." Lusamine lazily patted Lillie's back.

"Gladion!" Ash got closer to the boy. "What on the world is the matter with you!? Lillie's your sister!" Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles nodded in agreement. Something was definitely up with Gladion.

Ninetales had her mouth on Gladion's right arm. Froslass held his left arm. Sandslash tightened his claws on his left leg with Glaceon biting down on his right leg. Gladion struggled to escape from their hold. He was lashing out and screaming at the top of his lungs.

Decidueye calmly landed on Gladion's chest. He turned around to the Ultra Guardians and pointed his talon above Gladion's ear.

"Huh?" Ash crouched down and inspected his right ear. Gladion tried to stop him but couldn't because of Sun's pokémon. "Guys! There's something here!" The Ultra Guardians, minus Lillie, huddled up closer to Gladion. They watched as Ash carefully removed something from Gladion's ear. He had to pull on it a bit because it was attached to his skin.

Once Ash did this, Gladion's body went limp. He closed his eyes and stopped moving.

Ash examined the tiny device in his hands. He didn't know what the heck it was. He passed it over to Sophocles since he was an expert on this field.

However, once Sophocles had it in his hand, he gasped and dropped it. Terror was written all over his face.

"What's wrong, Sophocles?" Kiawe asked immediately.

"T-that's… it's o-one of the in-inventions I made with S-sun…" Sophocles stuttered, breathing in a more rapid pace.

"What!?" Mallow peered down at the device on the ground. Her eyes widened when she recognized it. "Y-you're right! You two used that on me to get free food!"

Long story short, Sun was mad at Mallow for refusing to give him free food after he assisted her with a task. With Sophocles, they created a device that would alter one's mind and get them to do their bidding. Both of them got the free food and were both fined with paying it once Mallow accidentally took it out. Ever since, Sun and Sophocles vowed to never use it again and hid it in Sun's room.

Okay, that wasn't short.

"B-but we hid it in Sun's room! Only we know about its location!" Sophocles felt sick to his stomach. That only meant one thing.

"Sun!" Gladion cried out, now fully awake and sitting up. His eyes were wide in panic. "H-he's here! He's here!" He alerted everyone.

"Sun's here!?!?" The Ultra Guardians braced themselves.

Gladion went on, "H-he got me from behind! He wanted me to be his minion and get his pokémon and z power ring back! I-I… he used me!" Gladion was shaking. This was a rare sight. Gladion rarely ever showed signs of fear.

"Sun, where is he!?" Ash asked him urgently.

Gladion was going to speak up but something from above caught his eye. He hitched a breath and frighteningly backed up while in his sitting position. His jaw dropped and his eyes were shaking madly.

Lillie watched her brother freaking out from behind her mother's back. She was still afraid of Gladion after what he had almost done to her. She silently thanked Sun's pokémon for finally supporting her by protecting her from Gladion. As of right now, Gladion had never acted so scared once in his life. If something so scary can frighten him, then it was bound to be a thousand times worst for everyone else.

Gladion raised his arm and pointed to the thing that he was looking at. His index finger was trembling severely.

"H-he's right there…" He said quietly.

Slowly but surely, Ash, Lana, Kiawe, Mallow, Sophocles, Faba, Professor Burnet, Wicke, Lusamine, and Lillie turned their heads around.

Oh how they wished they didn't.

Sun was floating high above the sky. His appearance alone was enough to give them nightmares. His clothes were basically rags now. There was even hints of dry blood on them. His hair was a wild mane at this point. It was all messy and greasy from the days spent not washing it. There were noticeable cuts all over his face and arms. His eyes no longer had irises, instead being all white. His neck was twisted to the right while his body was straight. Sun's body was twitching madly, almost as if he was being tazed. He smiled sinisterly, showing his white teeth. Dark aura surrounded him, cackling sparks every second.

Sun's voice sent shivers down everyone's spine.

"Miss me?" In an instant, the dark aura tremendously increased. It covered his entire body up and down. No one could even see him anymore because of this. All they can see was the white coming from Sun's eyes and his white teeth, still showing an evil toothy smile. The wind gradually increased in speed, mimicking speeds of a tornado nearby.

"Geez…" Kiawe gulped. He always presented himself as a brave trainer. But now… now he dropped the act.

"Oh no…" Lana squeaked. She was used to scary. Everyone always told her how scary her stories usually were. Seeing Sun's new haunting appearance almost made her heart stop. Nothing could top this in definition of scary, not even her stories.

"Ah!" Sophocles screamed. It didn't help the the sky was turning dark. His fear of the dark only added to his already freaked out demeanor. His best friend looked like something out of a horror movie! Sophocles could feel himself getting lightheaded.

The adults appeared to be spooked for a few seconds before they went back to being lazy. They would've had a better reaction but that was technically their fault.

"Gah!" Mallow shut her eyes completely. Sun, who used to be her best friend in the entire world, was now this thing. She could barely recognize him anymore. This was a complete stranger to her. A few tears slipped out of her closed eye sockets. She witnessed something that she'll remember for a long time.

"Sun…" Ash was different from the rest. Rather than being afraid, he was more intrigued than anything else. He couldn't take his eyes off of the new Sun. It was almost like he was in a trance.

"S-s-sun…" Lillie's eyes widened in genuine fear. She pressed her face on her mother's back, not wanting to see a peek of Sun.

 _'What did Marshadow do to him?'_ Lillie began to sob quietly while clutching her mother's body tightly. Her Sun was gone and replaced with this… horrifying version of him. _'That pokémon is going to pay… he's going to pay!!!'_ Her hold on Lusamine was enough to wake her fully.

"Ow! Lillie!" Lusamine finally noticed what everyone was looking at and gasped. "I was too late…"

Sun's pokémon were grouped up closely together. They were devising a plan on the get go.

Sun raised his hands up high. "Open the Ultra Wormhole!" Some of the dark energy radiating from him flew towards the direction of the moon. Then, a crack appeared on the sky and it slowly got bigger.

"W-wait! Over there!" A good distance away from the scene, Looker saw the ripple in the sky. His force and Team Skull stopped fighting fighting and zeroed in on the Ultra Wormhole.

"There's that brat, Sun!" One of the Team Skull grunts roared.

Looker shook his head. "That isn't Sun. I don't know what the thing is and frankly I don't care. There's the Ultra Wormhole! Everyone, move out!" Looker led his large force to the rocky area where the wormhole was.

"Team Skull! Go and get Sun!!!" A chorus of war cries followed and Team Skull rushed in to go and get Sun so he can pay for his crimes.

"Silvally! C-come out!" Gladion recovered from his shocked state and released Silvally.

A figure flew out of the Ultra Wormhole. It had a short snout, dark pink eyes with white centres. A rigid, raised hood wrapped around its head in a crescent shape and draped around its neck as well. Its gigantic wings resembled that of a bat. This was none other than-

"Lunala!" Ash exclaimed. Lunala came out of the wormhole and flew around the sky. Everyone would've taken the chance to enjoy the rare sighting if it wasn't for Sun manically laughing.

"Silvally, calm down!" Gladion had a firm grip of Silvally's head as he tried to calm down its nerves. Gladion gazed up at the wormhole again and gasped. "There's another one coming!"

"Another one!?!?" The Ultra Guardians cried at in unison.

Two massive dark crystal-like claws popped out from the Ultra Wormhole. The claws grabbed the ends of the wormhole and stretched it out to make it bigger. A gigantic black crystalline material head rushed out of the wormhole and let out an ear piercing screech. The unknown creature got its entire body out of the wormhole and floated in the sky.

"Yes! Behold my most strongest minion yet!" Sun shouted with pride. He flew up towards the mysterious being and landed on its spiky head. The dark aura from Sun spreaded across the creature's form, creating a colossal dark aura form that was as big as a skyscraper. Sun wasn't affected by it at all. It only made him feel stronger. Lunala was close by, observing the new change.

"Say hello to my friend, Necrozma! With it by my side, I'm going to take over all of Alola and then the entire world!!!"

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Author's Note: So yeah, Ash has finally evaluated his status as a trainer. Lillie was harsh on him but that only was because she was thinking about herself and her effectiveness as a trainer too. Mainly so she can save Sun… who just so happened to finally show himself! Necrozma, Marshadow, and Sun are allies which will be more difficulty for the Ultra Guardians to handle. We might even see an alliance between Team Skull and Looker. Hapu is mentioned in this chapter, though she won't be appearing during this arc. I have a reason for that and it'll be revealed when she debuts in my story._**

 ** _As for Gladion, his relative with Sun is closer than it is portrayed. Since both of their families were close, they're entitled to be close too. Gladion has a different way of showing it, being a protective brother and all. Heck, he was even willing to teach Mallow a lesson when she made fun of Sun's dad. Seeing Sun in his current state was enough to make him freak out, especially after it is implied that it was Sun who mind controlled Gladion to regain his pokémon and z power ring._**

 ** _Hau and Moon will also play a part, It won't be as big but they'll be there. Next chapter doesn't have a release date either but it'll be done for sure. Stayq2 tuned!_**


	22. Marshadow's Hidden Truth

**_Author's Note: As you can see by the title, this chapter is focusing in on Marshadow, but only towards the second half of the chapter. This mainly focuses on Lillie. The Ultra Guardians only have one scene in this only because I don't want to switch back and forth like I usually do. I want their interaction with two certain groups to not be interrupted by a time skip. So they're gonna take the lead next chapter. I kinda want to write the new opening but have it incorporate with characters and changes with my story like some users do, like_ 19jchoi _, who I got the motivation from to write my take on the Pokémon anime starting with my Kalos story earlier in the year. Maybe there'll be something like that in the future. More on the end Author's Note. I enjoy reading reviews so thanks to those again who take the time making them! It's a good confidence booster Without further ado, enjoy the chapter._**

 **To** **respond to Domgk115: Not to fret! I've already mentioned this in one of the first author's note so you can check out the answer there. I'll write them in when I feel like the time is right for Ash.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

 _The Manalo Festival is coming soon. I went to the Pokémon School just like on any other day. Some of my other classmates, like Lillie and Sophocles, sometimes work together to research more information on the mystery of an Ultra Wormhole. They're trying to find our other friend, Sun. He's… well, he hasn't been doing so good. A girl, or rather agent, Mina, identified the pokémon possessing Sun called Marshadow. It's hard to believe but we as the Ultra Guardians already had two encounters with this new Sun._

 _Lillie was acting strange. She challenged me to a pokémon battle and used Sun's pokémon against me. Lillie and Sun must have had a really close relationship if his pokémon allowed her to use them in battle. She even knew everything there was to them, which is what led to Lillie crushing me in battle. She forfeited the match, but I still firmly believe she would've won. Sun… what have you been teaching her? Maybe you can teach me that too._

 _For some strange reason, the professors and their other grown-ups were acting strange too. While that was going on, we Ultra Guardians were asked by Miss Lusamine to come to the Altar of Sunne. Because Mallow was sidelined with an injury, Miss Lusamine enlisted for Gladion's inclusion as the seventh Ultra Guardian. I wonder if Sun would want to be one too, but it'd be too much to ask of him after we go and save him._

 _Gladion was acting normal at first, but he became harsh towards Lillie after seeing that she had Sun's z-power ring and pokémon. Naturally, Sun's pokémon came to her aid and held Gladion down. Turns out, there was some device that was mind controlling Gladion._

 _It was around that same time that Sun appeared out of nowhere with a new haunting look. It was enough go give anyone nightmares. Then, Lunala emerged from the Ultra Hole. But another creature, one that we have never seen before appeared with it._

 _Sun has some sort of connection with this new creature because he linked up with it. I think he only just made it stronger. Now, he declared that he was going to take over Alola, and then the world._

 _I may not be from Alola, but I'll do everything I can to defend it from evil… even if it's my friend, Sun._

"Stop monologuing, Ash! The person we've been looking for days is now here!" Mallow snapped, smacking the back of Ash's head.

"Ow!" Ash whined, breaking out of his monologue mode. Lunala was shocked that Necrozma followed it and escaped the scene.

"Lunala~" Sun cooed. "You're mine!" A hand poked out from all the dark aura. In the hand was what appeared to be a-

"It's Sun's Master Ball!" Lillie cried out. Worry struck her as she recounted the numerous times when Sun told her that he wouldn't ever use his master ball. He wasn't in control of his body, leaving Lillie to have to make sure he doesn't use it.

"That's how he got our invention! Sun must have sneaked inside his house while we were at the resort!" Sophocles guessed correctly.

"Ta-ta! I got me a legendary to catch~" Sun and Necrozma bolted in the air to catch up with the weakened Lunala.

Everyone's mouth went agape. None of them can comprehend what just happened.

"Was that an Ultra Beast?" Ash wondered out loud. Sun had captured three Ultra Beasts, it would make sense if that massive pokémon that Sun had was an Ultra Beast too.

"Impossible. How can a boy open up an Ultra Wormhole? Especially when that creature was the one absorbing the Ultra Auta from across Alola. This boy is making the rules of science look weak with what he is doing. It's absorbing Lunala too as we speak," Professor Burnet said with no emotion while she held a device with visuals of the two pokémon. It then switched to one of Sun's body outline, showing a question mark beside it.

The Ultra Guardians and adults watched as Lunala and Necrozma glided away from Poni Island.

"Melemele Island is over in that direction!" Kiawe informed them seriously. Their home could very well be destroyed.

Lillie had a conflicted expression on her face. _'Sun is finally here… I can't waste this chance again! It may be my final one!'_ She rushed forward and hopped on her Altaria.

"Go follow those two! Maximum speed!" Lillie directed the ride pokémon to their location. Sandslash, Glaceon, Ninetales, and Snowy hopped aboard.

Before anyone can protest, they took off in a hurry. Decidueye took the sky while Froslass helped Vanilluxe with his flying. Vanilluxe never really was a good flyer.

"Wait, Lillie! You must work with the team" Lusamine's words echoed around the area but it didn't stop Lillie. In fact, it only made her go faster.

"Lillie…" Gladion clenched his fists. "I swear if something bad happens to you because of that Sun…" He cursed Lillie inability to think properly when it came to Sun. She could very well be heading into immediate danger just so she could catch up with Sun and Lunala.

Lusamine pointed to the sky. "You all must protect Lunala! Ultra Guardians, move o-"

"Not so fast!" Cutting her off, a man with grey hair appeared right in front of them. Not even a second later, they were surrounded by dozens of men and women in formal attire.

Ash's eyes widened in recognition. "Looker?" He didn't forget about the man. It was Looker, the same man that he met in the Sinnoh region and later on in the Unova region. Why he was stopping them was the real question.

"Ash?" Looker also recognized the boy. "You haven't aged a bit," He chuckled. Looker pulled out his badge and presented it to the adults of the group. "As for the rest of you, my name is Looker of the International Police Force and I order you to stop!"

Kiawe gasped. The badge was awfully familiar. He looked at Sophocles, who had the same reaction as well.

"You're the one that Mina and Sun worked for! The man that's after Sun because he caught an Ultra Beast instead of giving it to you!" Kiawe revealed all at once. Sophocles nodded in agreement. Mina had showed them and Lillie her badge. It was similar to the one that Looker had. The pieces added together.

Looker scowled, "I guess those two couldn't have kept their mouths shut. Tsk. Doesn't matter. Once I'm done with them, there won't be anyone else to spill our secrets."

"Not if we have anything to do with it!" Another voice yelled. To add to the crowd of people, members of Team Skull approached them.

"Ah! Team Skull too!?" Ash sputtered in disbelief. He knew three of the members because he battled them quite often when they cause trouble.

"Yeah! Sun is coming with us! The great and powerful Jenercocio wants him!"

"Jenercocio!?!?" Mallow, Kiawe, Lana, Sophocles, Faba, Wicke, Professor Burnet, and Lusamine shouted all together. Ash stood there, confused as ever.

"Who's Jenercocio?" Ash quizzed. He turned to Mallow, whose eyes were filled with fear.

"A-ash… he's the former Team Skull leader," She whispered to him. Ash's posture tensed after hearing that.

Looker crossed his arms. "What's the deal with all this Jenercocio nonsense? What happened with that idiot, Guzma?!" He demanded.

A blue haired Team Skull grunt stepped forward. "We don't need Guzma anymore. Now that Jenercocio is back, he kicked that grandpa out and reclaimed his throne! Team Skull is as strong as before again!" Team Skull buzzed with excitement.

"He's out then." Gladion took a mental note of that. "Alright, whoever you people are. What's all of this got to do with us?"

"Everything." Looker spoke. "You all are trying to get the boy. You all also seem to have some kind of connection with him. You kids looks strong as it is. We can't have you interfere with our plans to get Sun. More importantly, his Ultra Beasts."

The blue haired Team Skull grunt blinked. "An Ultra what? Forget it. We'll let you have them Ultra thingies but we want Sun! I say we form a truce right here against these power rangers," He remarked with a sneer.

"Hey!"

Looker contemplated on the offer and nodded. "Our numbers combined will outnumber them greatly. Afterwards, we'll go back to fighting each other. Deal?"

"Heck yeah it's a deal!" The International Police Force and Team Skull meshed in together and were all glaring at the Ultra Guardians.

"B-but Lunala!" Ash stuttered nervously. There was no getting out of this one. The numbers were far too big for them to try and escape. In a way, it was lucky that Lillie went by herself. At least one person had a direct lead on Sun and Lunala.

"Lillie, you stupid girl. Running away without us," Gladion hissed under his breath. He released his Umbreon and Lycanroc. "You want a piece of us? Then come get it!" He roared, challenging them without any hesitation. This was a different Gladion than the one a few minutes ago. The thought of his sister out there alone with a monster like Sun brought out his protective side. If beating the police and Team Skull was the only way to do it, then so be it.

"Hang in there, Lillie. We'll be there soon."

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

Lillie's heart was beating wildly as she and the pokémon were chasing Sun. He hadn't noticed her at all, providing the best opportunity to strike when he least expected. This was the moment she was waiting for. She was going to shop Marshadow and bring back the old Sun. The old Sun that she missed dearly.

 _'N-now that it's really happening… I'm not sure what I'll exactly do.'_ Lillie hadn't expected for this beast that Sun named Necrozma to come. It was by far the second scariest thing she had ever seen, Nihilego beating it by a far margin. It could very well be an Ultra Beast too.

 _'Ultra Beast or not, it's going down along with that Marshadow.'_ Another question came through her mind. What would she do to Marshadow? Sure she hated it for possibly ruining Sun's mental state for good, but it was a pokémon. Torturing it would make her no better then what it did to Sun. But for some strange reason, she wanted to hurt it. Hurt it like it hurt Sun. Then, she'd get the satisfaction that she craved.

"Huh?" Lillie was promptly snapped back to reality when Ninetales threw an Ice Shard at her direction. Seeing her back to normal, Ninetales focused her eyes back towards Sun and Necrozma.

Lillie shook her head rapidly. _'Get a hold of yourself, Lillie! You shouldn't have such thoughts. Sun would never approve of it. But, Sun isn't here right now…'_ She slapped herself, garnering some strange looks from her and Sun's pokémon.

 _'Happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts. You're getting Sun back regardless. You're strong enough to do it in your own. No Ash. No big brother or mother. Just Lillie. Just Lillie…'_ Lillie yelped when Altaria made a sudden halt, pushing them both forward.

"What's wrong?" Lillie gazed her attention to Necrozma. It was flying in all sorts of directions in an attempt to hit Lunala. A cry from down below made her blood run cold.

"S-sun!? I-is that you!?" It was Hau. He was standing beside his grandpa, Hala, with a mortified expression on his face. "S-sun…" Hau began to shed some tears, seeing Sun like this.

"Hau…" Lillie frowned, upset that Hau was sad. She had completely forgotten that Hau doesn't know anything that was going on. Lillie scolded herself for doing such a thing.

Hau heard her voice and looked up. He was shocked to see her on an Altaria in the air with Sun's pokémon and a new outfit. "Lillie? What's…" His sudden eyes unexpectedly turned grim. "What did you do to Sun?"

Lillie reeled back in surprise. "W-what? I didn't do-"

Hau didn't let her continue. "You did this to him! I just know it was you! N-no wonder Sun doesn't trust you. You're just a backstabbing traitor! H-how could you do this to him? After everything we've been through…" He did his best to hide his eyes so Lillie couldn't see him crying.

"This wasn't my fault!" Lillie protested. It made her heart clench when Hau had absolutely no faith in her. Even going so far as to calling her a backstabbing traitor.

"Yes it is!" Hau raged. Hala stood there, not concerned with Hau's new attitude at all. "You're just chasing after him because you can't control him. Change him back! I'll do anything." Hau dropped to his knees and hung his head low. "Please…"

Lillie was about to respond until Lunala and Necrozma starting flying Hau and Hala's way.

"Hau, watch out!" Hau slowly looked up and saw the possessed Sun and Necrozma coming his way. His breath hitched, fear preventing him from moving. Time slowed for Hau as he thought that this was it. Being taken out by his best friend.

From out of nowhere, a yellow blur appeared in front of Hau and Hala. It blocked Necrozma's path, saving the two from danger.

Hala was the one to speak. "Tapu Koko!" He was glad that the island deity came to save him and his grandson.

"Wow…" Lillie took the chance to marvel the sight of Tapu Koko. She had only met it a handful of times. Those times were with Sun.

Tapu Koko bought Lunala time as it flew off to get away from Necrozma. Tapu Koko inched backwards and its body glowed many different colors. It rammed itself into Necrozma, causing Sun to grow agitated.

"Focus on your target!" He slapped the top of its head. While it was a puny slap due to the size difference, Necrozma switched its gaze to Lunala. It followed the retreating Lunala, with Sun's laughter echoing across the sky.

"We got to keep moving!" Lillie gestured Altaria to follow as well. Altaria let out a chirp and sped off, Sun's pokémon not far behind.

"Wait!" Hau's voice was the last thing Lillie heard before they set sail.

Lillie had to hold on to the handlebars tight. Altaria was going the fastest it ever has at the request of Lillie. Nothing was going to stop her. Not some pesky wind. Not Hau. Not Marshadow or Necrozma.

"Lunala!" While Sun was her main goal, Lillie was also worried for the moone pokémon. Sun obviously was planning to catch it for a good reason. It was strong. Lunala would make an excellent addition to his team.

"Enough of this cat and mouse charade! Use Psycho Cut!" Sun ordered, having been fed up with the chasing. Necrozma's claw scratched the sky, sending a purple wave at Lunala.

Luckily, Lunala managed to dodge it and countered it by forming into a circle. It glowed light blue and fired a large beam at Necrozma.

"Block it!" Necrozma shielded its face with its hands. The beam hit it, but Necrozma wasn't fazed by the move one bit. "Again!" Necrozma used Psycho Cut once more, this time hitting its mark. Lunala was sent back a couple of feet.

Lunala recovered and kept its distanced. In Lillie's eyes, it was right in front of the moon. Lunala gathered the energy that it need and formed a purple colored energy ball on its chest. It released it and aimed it at Necrozma, briefly stunning it and Sun.

Seizing the moment, Lunala then created a blue sphere on its chest and brought its wings to its body. A pair of slashes was blasted from its wings and hit Necrozma.

Lillie watched in awe as Lunala was fighting back. Lunala made a purple cut below it and went in. "It vanished?" Lillie question was answered when the same purple cut appeared behind Necrozma and Lunala slipped out of there. Lunala struck Necrozma with its wings hard.

"Phantom Force," Lillie uttered to herself. She knew the move by heart because Decidueye was a master of it.

"Gah!" Sun and Necrozma were sent back. Lunala created another hole in the sky and repeated the same actions. This time though, Sun was ready. "Behind you!" Lunala came out of its hole but was met with a Psycho Cut in the face. The force sent the moone pokémon down to the ocean below them.

"Oh no!" Lillie screamed. To her misfortune, it was more louder than she intended it to be. Sun's head snapped back, the aura around him and the massive beast diminishing a little.

"It's you. You've been a pain for quite a while now. It's about time that you are dealt with." The dark aura returned in full force. "Prismatic Laser!" Necrozma's body glowed a multi-color hue. Sun was still in surrounded by dark aura, making him stand out. Necrozma stretched all of its limbs out, unleashing a barrage of multi-colored lasers.

Lillie and the flying pokémon did their best to avoid the attack. One lucky laser found its way to Altaria, striking it. Altaria yelped and arched its body back, unknowingly letting Lillie slip off back.

"Ahh!" Lillie felt lightheaded as she descended down. There was no one to save her. The Prismatic Laser were still in effect and Sun's pokémon couldn't reach her without getting hit. The ocean was under her. Lana could easily swim here, but as for Lillie, she was no master at swimming. She'd surely drown within a minute. Lillie closed her eyes, believing it was all over.

"I-I'm sorry, Sun. I let you down." It was foolish of her for thinking she could do this on her own. She clearly needed Ash, Gladion, and her friends. Lillie was useless on her own. She always needed someone to help her. This was the world's way of telling her so in the most cruelest decision. She was going to pay the price.

A loud screech filled her ears and her free falling was halted. Lillie landed on something, saving her from her doom. Her many tears fell on her savior. It turned out to be none other then-

"Thank you, Lunala!" Lillie hugged Lunala with all her might. Her mission wasn't over. She still had a chance. Though, the near death experience had shaken her up. "Where is everyone?" Surely it couldn't have taken the Ultra Guardians so long to catch up with her. This led to Lillie thinking that something must have held them back

"I'm on my own now." Recollecting herself, Lillie jumped and got back on her Altaria. "Are you alright?" She petted its head, earning a happy coo in response.

"Stupid brat!" Sun seethed, not happy that Lillie was unscathed. "Leave us alone and maybe I'll spare your life!" He threatened, with no signs that he was bluffing.

Lillie shook her head. "No! It's about time that I stop you myself!" She turned to the pokémon. "This is it! Ninetales, Vanilluxe, and Altaria, use Ice Beam! Froslass, Shadow Ball! Sandslash, Ice Ball! Glaceon, Icy Wind! And Decidueye, use Spirit Shackle!" The blonde haired girl instructed the pokémon to use one of their strongest moves respectively. She kept Snowy out of the attack.

Vanilluxe, Ninetales, and Altaria each let out a strong beam of ice. Froslass produced a Shadow Ball from her hands and tossed it at Necrozma and her possessed trainer. Sandslash did the same with his Ice Ball and Glaceon spewed up a powerful gust of wind to them. Finally, Decidueye grabbed an arrow quill from his wing. The arrow had a shadowy aura surrounding the sharp tip of it. Raising his wing up, he aimed the arrow at Necrozma and released it. Instead of the arrow hitting the ground, which was impossible as they were above water, it hit Necrozma. The arrow exploded, creating a wave a blue fire around it. The attacks all it without any miscalculations.

"No way!" The Ice Beams did their job, freezing Necrozma's whole body. It was frozen for a good fifteen seconds before it began to crack. Necrozma freed itself using its brute strength. However, it came at a price.

"You idiot!" Sun also had to take in the attacks as well. He was frozen too. When Necrozma escaped, it accidentally resulted in Sun losing his connection with the massive beast. Sun lost his grip on Necrozma and began to fall from the sky.

"Sun!" Lillie went in to save Sun, but Decidueye stopped her. "What? Move out of the way you stupid bird!" Decidueye didn't take those words very kindly and smacked Lillie in the head. He pointed to the two with his wing.

Necrozma snatched Sun with its humongous claw and slammed him right back on top of its head. The dark aura radiating from Sun returned to its body. Necrozma let out a loud roar as its power boost came back. Decidueye observed the act intently.

"Ow! Watch it!" Sun weakly got back up, clutching his forehead. "Use another Prismatic Laser or something. Ow…" He turned around so no one could see him in pain.

Necrozma did as it was told, forcing Lillie into retreating back so the same incident wouldn't happen twice.

"Gr…" Sun growled. The girl wasn't going to give up easy. "Forget her. Just go after Lunala!" Lillie's eyes grew as wide as plates when Necrozma showed its back to her. There was a familiar symbol on it.

"That's from the book. Can it be… no! It must have some connection with it. There's no way that that can be the actual Radiant One!" Lillie shivered in fear regardless. Handling an Ultra Beast was one thing, but a living legend? And the fact that Sun possibly has control of it? Her hopes of saving her best friend were slimming down largely.

Necrozma roared and wrapped its arms around Lunala's body. A yellow beam of light extracted itself from Necrozma and onto Lunala. Lunala's whole body brimmed yellow while Necrozma had a firm hold of it.

"What's it trying to do?" Lillie inquired to herself. She waited a minute, unsure on how to tackle the situation. There was no Rotom around, who usually informed Lillie and her friends about topics that they didn't know. Then she was reminded that Rotom was out of commission, which made her mouth stretch downwards.

"Yes! You're mine now, Lunal-" Sun made an attempt to catch Lunala with his master ball but Necrozma use on of its hands to smack it far away before resuming back to Lunala.

"No!"

"No!"

Both Sun and Lillie cried out in unison. Lillie ordered her Altaria to go after it. With its fast speed, Altaria managed to go under the master ball, leading to Lillie to catch it in her hands.

"Phew." Lillie brought the master ball close to her chest, relieved that it was safe. Sun was sure to be proud of her for not letting Marshadow use it. "Sun!" Breaking out of her inner thoughts, Lillie's eyes went back to the task at hand. By then, it was too late.

"Th-this wasn't a part of the plan… gah!!!" The possessed Sun howled in pain. Necrozma's body shattered into multiple pieces. Sun grabbed the edges of its brain prism, which stayed where it was.

Necrozma's body parts morphed into Lunala's, fully taking control of it. The brain prism disappeared and was seen on the new Necrozma's face. Without having anything to hold on to, Sun was falling from the sky yet again. Also like before, Necrozma used its newly acquired wings to scoop up Sun.

"U-unhand me you beast!" Struggling to wiggle his way out, Sun failed and was strapped back onto Necrozma's new form. This time, the dark aura grew stronger than ever, even knocking back Lillie and the pokémon.

"Great job!" The possessed Sun's hostility vanished in an instant. "Yes… you're perfect. New name, new form. You'll now be referred to as, Dawn Wings Necrozma! Hahaha!" Sun's cackled wildly.

Lillie froze. "It just possessed Lunala… like mother… and like Sun." Her eyes were watery after witnessing the possession take place. Now she had two beings to break out of its possession.

 _'But it's both Lunala and this Necrozma! Combined… I can't stop them. No one can. Is… is Alola's fate sealed?'_ Lillie glanced over at Sun's pokémon, who were cowering in fear, minus Decidueye. Decidueye just had a troubled expression on his face.

In a blink of an eye, an electromagnetic net was thrown over Sun and Dawn Wings Necrozma.

"Eh?" Lillie recognized the invention from yesterday. The trio of Team Rocket were responsible with it, so it had to be one of them. Hearing Decidueye squawk, she turned to the arrow quill pokémon who had his wings pointed up.

"Another enemy?" Lillie spotted the faint outline of a helicopter up in the air. There was a rope attached to it, leading down to the net where the victims were forced into. The helicopter unveiled itself to the human eye. "And it has optical camouflage!"

The rope began to pull up the net. Lillie's glare hardened.

"You're aren't taking them away! Hurry!" Altaria made a beeline to the net but stopped when a loud yell was heard.

"I know that helicopter from anywhere! Team Rocket… Team Rocket… TEAM ROCKET!!!" Sun's voice was loud enough for all the islands in Alola to hear. "You're going to pay!!!" Dawn Wings Necrozma broke free from the net using Psycho Cut and charged at the helicopter. "You're going to fall one by one!!!" The wings of the fused pokémon collided with the helicopter in between.

"Oh no!" To her horror, the helicopter was banged up badly and started to crash towards the beach side. A familiar noise caught her attention. Lillie detected another Ultra Wormhole in the sky. However, this one wasn't an enemy.

"Nebby!" The Solgaleo Lillie knew as Nebby, stepped out of the hole. Nebby approached Lillie and her Altaria "You're really here!" Lillie grabbed a part of its face and hugged her pokémon friend.

Nebby was the first to let go so it could pay attention to Dawn Wings Necrozma's next move.

"Woah! Is that… argh! Who cares? Destroy it!" Dawn Wings Necrozma slashes numerous Psycho Cuts but Nebby dodged each one. Once it got close enough, Nebby prepared a Flash Cannon attack. With its mouth glowing white, Nebby released a beam of powerful energy.

"Prismatic Laser!" Using its feet, Dawn Wings Necrozma unleashed two multi-colored beams. It easily overpowered Flash Cannon and struck Nebby.

"Hang in there, Nebby!" Lillie encouraged Nebby to keep going. Nebby shook off its temporary daze and jumped higher in the air. It was getting surrounded by a orange-yellow orb that resembled the sun. It grew larger by the second. Satisfied with the amount of energy, Nebby rushed towards Dawn Wings Necrozma and slammed its reinforced body into it.

"Don't give up!" Sun yelled. Dawn Wings Necrozma staggered but it wasn't fully taken out.

Nebby directed its eyes to Decidueye and beckoned him over. Nodding, Decidueye flapped his wings around Nebby and conversed with it.

"What are they doing?" Lillie asked to no one in particular. Nebby suddenly raised its paw, igniting it in a steel gray color. It dashed to the stunned Dawn Wings Necrozma.

Meanwhile, Decidueye readied his bow once more. He squinted his eyes to better perfect his accuracy. Decidueye's arrow increased its shadowy aura power. Giving the signal, he shot the arrow.

The arrow traveled at speeds so high that Lillie couldn't even see it. The target was none other than-

"Ah!!!" The arrow hit the area right in front of Sun. The huge explosion of blue fire soon followed, knocking Sun off for the third time today.

Dawn Wings Necrozma's power weakened, losing the dark aura around its body. Nebby took this opportunity to slash its Metal Claw at its opponent. Without the possessed Sun, Dawn Wings Necrozma was unable to fully recover. It released its control of Lunala. Its several body parts and Sun fell into the sea. Lunala was not safe from this but fortunately landed on the beach side.

"Sun!" Lillie shrieked. She was about to go in and save him until Nebby blocked her way. "Nebby, you know I love you but can you move out of the way?" Nebby shook its head, much to Lillie's shock. "I'm serious Nebby… I don't want to have to make you." Now it was Nebby's turn to be shocked. It had never heard Lillie sound so menacing before, and it didn't look like she was messing around either.

Nebby let out a huff and went down to the beach side to check up on Lunala. The crashed helicopters was with it.

"Finally!" Floating a few feet above the sea, Lillie searched for her best friend in the general area where he fell. "Sun! If you can hear me show me a sign!" It was an outrageous request, and she wasn't surprised that it didn't work. "Can one of you swim?" She questioned the pokémon with her.

Decidueye, Froslass, Sandslash, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe all faced Ninetales. Out of the team, she was the best swimmer. Ninetales growled, annoyed that they grouped up on her.

Since Ninetales was with her, Lillie brought her closer into a hug. "I know you may not like me but we both have one thing in common. We want the old Sun back." Ninetales tilted her head down to avoid Lillie's eyes. "Will you please go and check on Sun? If you don't want to do it for me then do it for him. He's been nothing but nice to all of us. We have to return the favor." Lillie's words had a heavy impact on Ninetales.

Shoving Lillie away, Ninetales peered down at the sea. Snowy yipped happily, cheering on her friend. Without another second to waste, she hopped into the pool of water.

It felt like an hour had passed for Lillie as she waited for Ninetales to pop up from the water.

 _'Please be okay. Please be okay. I promise I won't ask for anything else.'_ Lillie thought to herself, placing her hands to her chest.

Then, a splash was heard. Lillie's heart almost burst when she saw Ninetales above the water while she was holding onto the collar of Sun's shirt with her jaw.

"They're back!" Lillie and the pokémon rejoiced. "Altaria, we have to go pick them-"

Of course, things always don't turn out the way you expect them to.

A larger outline emerged from the water. Ninetales stopped swimming and sweatdropped, sensing something below her.

Necrozma, somewhat recovered, arose from the sea and took Ninetales and Sun on its head. It roared viciously. It set its focus back on Nebby, with it doing the same.

"We got to save her!" Lillie flew over to where Necrozma was discreetly. Ninetales was hanging on the edge of its arm, whimpering as she was losing her grip. "Let go I'll catch you." Lillie, for the first time today, smiled brightly. "I promise."

Trusting her word, Ninetales reluctantly let go and plummeted downwards. Lillie stretched her arms out wide, catching Ninetales in her arms.

"You're safe, girl. There's nothing to be worried about." Lillie consoled the fox pokémon. She hugged her and petted her ears. Ninetales barked and licked Lillie's face, earning a giggle from her. An abrupt screech broke their happy moment.

Lillie gasped, "Oh no! Nebby!" Necrozma caught Nebby in a bear hug and squeezed tightly. A bright light blinded Lillie and the pokémons vision. "What's happening?" Rubbing her eyes, Lillie slowly regained her vision.

She slightly wished she didn't.

Nebby was there anymore. Instead, was a creature that appeared similar to a Solgaleo. Although, it had parts of Necrozma's black crystal-like parts on it. Its mane and body was a light orange-like color.

"Nebby…" Another friend was gone due to possession. Lillie searched for Sun and caught him resting his body on top of the new Necrozma's back. His body was wet, but the dark aura was no longer there. A small trace lingered around him, but it was faint.

The new Necrozma yowled at the night sky. It shook its body roughly, waking up Sun from his stupor.

"E-eh?" Sun patted the unfamiliar body around him. Sitting up, the dark aura increased but it was nothing like it previously was. "And who are you?" Sun inspected its new form. "You look like a Solgaleo but you're clearly not. You possessed it, huh Necrozma? I'm out of names so I'll just call you Dusk Mane… Dusk Mane Necrozma. Suits well."

The newly named Dusk Mane Necrozma shook its body harshly again.

"Alright! You want to get out of here. Give me a sec." Sun walked up to its head, now fully gathering his full power. The dark aura came back and encircled Dusk Mane Necrozma. Its power lust filled eyes was pleased with this. The possessed Sun fell to one knee, grimacing in pain.

Nevertheless, Sun put his hands out forward. An Ultra Wormhole came into view. Decidueye observed the action, trying to come up with a conclusion.

Lillie gritted her teeth. Sun was trying to escape again. Escape and leaving her behind to worry. She's had enough of having nightmares of Sun being possessed. Lillie was going to put an end to this once and for all.

 _'I promised I'd save you this time around. So did mother. You're not getting away this time, Sun! I'm saving you under any condition. Then, I can have you back.'_ A stray tear slipped down Lillie's face while she quietly told the pokémon to follow her and Altaria.

 _'I may not be strong enough to take down this beast you have under your control but this is what friends do. Friends help their friends whenever they need it. I'm sorry everyone for being selfish but I want to save you all by myself!'_ Lillie sped up forward with her Altaria while Sun and Dusk Mane Necrozma entered the wormhole.

 _'Moon will most likely be furious if she hears this but I want you to come back the most. I don't know your relationship with Moon well but I feel like we got a stronger bond. People say that I know you better than anyone else, even Mallow. It embarrasses me that I never denied it. Hau may have gotten in the ways at times but I cherished those moments with you during the Island Challenge. We grew closer than I could have ever imagined.'_

Lillie shut her eyes tightly as they inched towards the wormhole. The remaining flying pokémon boarded Altaria, minus Decidueye, who excelled in flying.

 _'Sometimes, I wish I can go back in time and be with you, Sun!'_

They entered the Ultra Wormhole. Due to the intense speed that they were flying at, Lillie blacked out as soon as they went inside.

"Lillie… Lillie… Lillie!" Lillie awoke with a loud gasp. She sat up awkwardly. She didn't know that she was pressed up against someone. Her eyes wandered upwards and she was met with a pair of dull blue eyes..

"Sun?" Lillie turned her head left and right to figure out where she was. The night sky of Alola was blue as day. The ocean was flowing gently with some pokémon swimming in it contentedly. Lillie discovered that she was on the deck of the ship judging that they were moving in the ocean. She was on one of the wooden benches, her body pressed against Sun's shoulder.

Lillie stared at Sun with wonderment. He in return, gave her a concerned look.

"It's just a bad dream." Sun wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her head in closer in an effort to comfort her.

"Where am I?" Lillie asked, though fully knowing the answer. She just wanted to hear it out of Sun.

Sun offered her a smile, one that Lillie missed dearly. "We're on the ship silly. Don't tell me your pretty little head already forgot." Lillie's cheeks tinged pink at his words.

 _'I even missed his teasing…'_

"What happened?" Lillie straightened up but still kept a firm grip on one of Sun's arm.

Sun tilted his head sideways. "Eh? You don't remember much of today, huh? You okay, Lillie?"

Lillie snuggled her face closer to his arm. "I am now that I'm with you."

"Hehe," Sun chuckled awkwardly, his own face turning red. "Anyway, we're heading to Poni Island for our last trial."

"Our?"

"Yeah. Hau's with us too. You know that." Sun playfully nudged her shoulder. He pointed to his right, where Hau was lounging over on a chair. He was sleeping soundly, with a half-eaten malasada sitting on his stomach. His cheerful smile was there even when he was sleeping.

Lillie's eyes softened at the sight. _'Hau isn't mad with me. We're still friends. Sun and I are still friends.'_

A realization struck her. "W-wait! What happened to the Ultra Wormhole?! Marshadow? Lunala? Nebby? Necrozma? Team Rocket? Your spy work?" Lillie asked with a hint of nervousness. It was enough to stir Hau from his slumber.

Sun's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?" He flinched when Lillie revealed his secret.

"You're a spy?" Hau said, half asleep.

"No I'm not! Go back to sleep, Hau! You shouldn't have stayed up all night watching that show with the singing ponies!" Sun berated the dark green haired boy.

"Ah! I thought you were asleep!" Hau squeaked anxiously.

"I'll forget about it if you rest up and prepare for our meeting with the Kahuna of Poni Island." After hearing that, Hau was out of it.

Lillie was still freaking out. She didn't know where she was… rather when she was. This was too good to be true. She just so happened to wish to go back in time and it came true. Lillie was having trouble deciding if her whole life was a dream or not.

"Woah! Woah! Relax!" Sun wrapped his arms around the shaking Lillie, pulling her in for a hug. He lightly stroked her long blonde hair. "Listen, I don't know how you knew that I'm a spy-not that I'm admitting it or anything! But you're clearly upset. What can I tell you to make you feel better?" Sun asked, staring deep into Lillie's eyes for an answer.

Lillie's heart started to thump madly. Her face was as red as the top half of a poké ball. She leaned in closer. Her face was mere inches away from Sun's.

"That you won't leave me. That we'll be together always," She whispered softly. She didn't intend for her words to have a different meaning.

Then again, maybe she did.

Sun let out a little laugh. "Oh, I wouldn't do that. I promise we'll be together for as long as we are alive."

Lillie smiled. _'Sun never breaks his promises.'_ She rested her head on the croon of his neck. She loved the feeling of being in his arms. Her heart beated in a more calmer pace. Lillie hummed quietly, savoring the moment for as long as she can.

"Get some rest too, Lillie. I know you were up all night with Hau watching that weird show. It was hard sleeping with all that noise and you two singing along. I'm starting to regret sharing a room with you three so we could save up some poké dollars," Sun put in slyly.

Even if Lillie didn't know what he was talking about, she pretended to do so anyway.

"You're so mean, Sun. But you're still my best friend" Lillie said shyly. She relaxed back down on the bench and sat in her earlier position. That was leaning into Sun while holding his arm.

"You're my best friend too, Lillie." That was all Lillie heard from Sun before she drifted back to sleep.

 ** _In the real world..._**

Lillie woke up yet again, this time for real. Her senses where on high alert due to her surroundings being as dark as it was back in Alola. The place sent off an eerie vibe. The cloud were as dark as the sky itself. There was nothing in sight, almost as if she was in an endless void. She was sitting on a rocky surface. The whole area was filled with them. There were gaps in between them, meaning that they were high up.

"You're awake," A familiar voice said. Lillie turned around to see Sun sitting there. He was still in his possessed form, though it wasn't as strong as it was before. It was a weak aura that surrounded him.

Lillie scooted back several feet. She wasn't expecting the possessed to be there at all. Even more perplexing was the fact that he was talking to her normally.

"Relax. You act like you've seen a ghost or something… oh wait," Sun chuckled darkly. He yawned and laid his body on the never ending ground. "Being in a human body is pretty strange. These hands are something." He put his hands out forward and wiggled his fingers.

Lillie rubbed her eyes, not believing if she was seeing this right. Sure enough, everything was still the same.

"Where are the pokémon!?" Lillie asked urgently.

Sun waved his arm to the left. "They wandered over there trying to find a way out. I kept trying to tell them that only Big 'Rozma can make them. They're all right if that's what you're wondering," He replied halfheartedly.

Lillie narrowed her eyes at the possessed boy. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't. Believe whatever you want to believe human."

The whole conversation made Lillie uncomfortable. The possessed Sun, the one who was power crazy was now acting like a relaxed being. His approach was similar to the one when she first met the possessed Sun. The cuts and bruises remained on his body.

It made her frown when this Sun was talking like he didn't know her at all. She knew it wasn't him, yet it was at the same time, physical wise.

"A-are you going to hurt me?" Lillie asked, nervously anticipating his response. There was literally nowhere for her to hide. The pokémon weren't with her either, leaving her defenseless.

"Nah. Don't have a reason to human," He answered, not sparing her a glance. "You can go find the pokémon or whatever. No one's stopping you. Just make it back when you hear Big 'Rozma. Shouldn't miss it. It knows you're here too. Even if you tried to hide, it'll find you anyway so don't even try." Sun closed his eyes, ending the talk.

Lillie rested her hands on her lap. Since her Snowy and Altaria were with Sun's pokémon, they'd be safe without a stitch. She wasn't sure how long she was out of it. They could be too far for her to catch up in time.

Her weird dream confused her quite a lot. It seemed so real. It was definitely a memory from her past but at the same time it wasn't. She had memories of the future and it affected the memory. Lillie mentioned just about every crazy thing that has happened to her since his return. It was apparent that when she said that he was a spy, Sun was in complete shock.

 _'I wish I can go back to it.'_ Lillie was extremely satisfied when she got to hug Sun again. It was embarrassing enough to admit but she loved to sleep by his side. It was one of the most tranquil acts that she could accomplish without having Sun reject it. There would be some questioning glances her way when she did this, mainly on the ship. Sun was a lot more bold than she was and didn't mind the stares. Hau sometimes stared at them with an unreadable expression before going back to his own business.

Gaining some confidence, Lillie slowly made her way over to Sun. He either didn't see her or didn't care when she sat down beside him.

"E-excuse me, Mr. Marshadow." Lillie spoke up anxiously.

Sun opened one eye and grunted. "Who's this Marshadow you're speaking of?" It was then that Lillie remembered that it was nameless. Marshadow didn't know it's own name since it was just named recently.

"Oh. Um... there's this girl, Mina who got a physical description of your form and drew it. She got the honor to name you too because you're a new species of pokémon that hasn't been discovered." Lillie explained.

"Ugh." Sun sat up and hugged his knees to his chest. "I didn't know that I was spotted. Now I have to be more careful. A lot of people are going to want me now. Thanks for that," He grumbled.

Lillie gulped, "Well only a group of people know. My friends, the professor, and my mother. I promise we won't hunt you down Mr. Marshadow." She paused. "Unless you're up to no good. You've been causing a lot of trouble for us."

"As if I had a choice." Sun scratched his chin. "Why are you speaking with me? I already told you that I have no plans to hurt you. Sod off!" He dismissed her, annoyance in his voice.

"B-but…" Lillie poked her index fingers together shyly. "C-can you release my friend? I-It would mean a lot to me if you did! Please," She begged, interlocking her hands. Her eyes glimmered with hope.

Sun chuckled dryly. "Oh? Is that what you want. To tell you the truth human, I can't do that."

"Why not?" Lillie's hopes were broken in an instant. Marshadow was evil after all. It could always find a new host other than Sun. It could even do better without a human body in the first place. Being in a human body restricted the use of its abilities and its resilience.

Sun rolled over to his side. His dark eyes were on Lillie. For some reason, his eyes flickered from Sun's usual dull blue eyes to the possessed dark ones. His eyes were filled with sadness.

"Big 'Rozma wouldn't allow it. Its lustful for power. The only reason it let me go is because it had Solgaleo with it. No need for Mathsandow," It said, forgetting its own name. "Besides, the human, Sun, couldn't handle it here in his condition. His sanity is crumbling down and seeing his surroundings will make him freak out. Big 'Rozma would just force us to fuse together again. Sun's brain will explode if I take control of him one more time."

"Explode!?!?" Lillie shrieked.

"Just messing with you." Lillie's eyes turned into dots. "But you get the general idea human. I'm sorry that I can't release your boyfriend."

"S-sun isn't my b-boyfriend!" Lillie's objected. Her whole face flared a bright red.

"Human, please," Sun scoffed. "I can see his memories when I'm in control. He clearly has a thing for you, and I can tell that it's the same with you too. You don't just go out together everyday and not be a couple," He added in with no care in the world.

Lillie face exploded with redness. She placed her hands on her burning cheeks and quickly shook her head. Her heart felt like it was about to spring out of her chest. She forced back the growing smile on her mouth in favor of keeping herself calm and collective.

"N-no! I-I don't like Sun! He's just my friend and I want to get him back to normal! We just hang around each other a lot. Nothing more, nothing less!" Lillie cried out.

Sun stared at her oddly. "I've been around Alola for a while now. I've seen many things from the shadows, but I've never seen someone so dishonest as you," He huffed. "I can examine his memories and feelings. Believe me, there's something there with you."

 _'I'm not going to believe the evil pokémon. Though, if it is telling the truth…'_ Lillie hugged her body in an attempt to soothe her nerves.

"There's someone else as well. It may not be as strong as you two but there's a connection."

 _'It must be Moon.'_ Lillie jumped to conclusions. It was fairly obvious to everyone that Moon has a special liking towards Sun. Sun wasn't the oblivious type, making her wonder why he hasn't responded to any of Moon's flirting.

"Will you just please give Sun back? I'm asking nicely!" Lillie pleaded. "Is there a reason why you have him in the first place? Did you just possess him for the fun out of it?" She accused it hotly. Her embarrassment was replaced with anger. It was all Marshadow's fault that this was all happening.

"Doesn't matter. You won't even believe me. I'm just the evil ghost haunting bodies as a living," Sun responded sarcastically.

"I'll give you a chance to explain yourself. Either way, I'm getting Sun back whether you like it or not." She folded her arms, asserting her position.

Sun sighed, "I just wanted to help."

"Help? What, by turning him into this?" Lillie gestured at Sun's appearance with a scowl.

"In a way. There are secrets that this human is holding. It's all coming down on him hard ever since he came back to this region. He came back with one goal in mind."

"And that is…?" Lillie motioned Sun to continue.

"Let's put it this way. What has that girl, Mina been telling you about Sun?" Sun started off with a simple question.

Lillie inquisitively put a finger on her chin, recalling back to the day when she, Kiawe, and Sophocles met with Mina. "Well, she told us Sun was a spy working for some organization when he was seven. Mina said that he really wanted an Ultra Beast to complete his… personal mission."

"Good. So you know the backstory." Sun nodded his head following her words. "It's as you said, Sun wanted… no, he needed an Ultra Beast. I'll be honest, I've been following your little group during your journey. This Sun is an exquisite trainer. He climbed the ranks in record time at such a young age. It was only natural that I gained interest in him, especially after his battle against Island Kahuna Olivia."

He continued, "Then that day of his life came. He got the news of his father." Lillie's clenched her fists at the reminder. "I wandered around aimlessly for days, waiting for him to come back. When he did, I sensed something different about him. He never showed it physically but it was there. He had a new ambition and the only way to achieve that was to get the strongest pokémon in the world."

Lillie took Sun's words in heavily. "B-but his pokémon are already strong. Why would he-"

"His pokémon may be strong but they're not the strongest," He interjected. "Sun knew they had their limits. Even if he tried his best, there wasn't any way that they can be as strong as Sun wanted. I wished that I could help. I don't know why but I felt like I needed to help the boy. I could relate with him. We both had a goal to pursue and we could only fulfill that if we work together."

"What was your goal?" Lillie inquired. At the time, Lillie didn't know that she was asking something personal to the pokémon/human.

Sun stared at her. His dark eyes staring into her soul while he chose not to answer her question. Lillie avoided his eyes and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Anyway." Lillie cringed when his voice grew more stern. "I watched as he spent nights researching each and every type of pokémon known across several regions. The frustration carried out during the day but it always disappeared once he showed up."

Lillie's cheeks regained their redness. "I'm not that special to him," She mumbled.

Sun rolled his eyes. "Sure." He stretched out his word, much to Lillie's embarrassment. "Back to where I was, I had enough of watching him struggle day in and day out. I seeked for assistance. I considered introduction myself with the possibility of joining his team, but I couldn't show myself to the public. I spent months searching and searching. Then one day, I found the entity that filled in the qualifications. You already know it as Big 'Rozma, otherwise known as Necrozma."

 _'Here it comes.'_ Lillie braced herself for what she was going to hear next. Whoever this Necrozma was to Marshadow, it left a bitter taste in Sun's mouth.

Sun played with his crinkled shirt. "I came across Necrozma when some sort of jellyfish-like creature popped out of an Ultra Hole." Lillie gasped when Sun described the cause of her traumatic experience, Nihilego. "The wormhole was open so I went in. I was taken to a rift and I was stupid enough to try and use my ability to morph into the shadows there. It took me to the place that we're in right now." He waved his arms around the eerie location.

Lillie listened on curiously. She was so absorbed in the conversation that she didn't notice that the pokémon have returned. Sun did but ignored them because of the flares he was receiving from them. Lillie was snapped out of it when Decidueye smacked the back of her head with one of his arrow quills.

"Ow!" Lillie had a bump appear on the spot where Decidueye hit her. "Oh hey! You're all back!" She got up and hugged her Altaria, Snowy and Sun's Ninetales. Decidueye wasn't into hugs and Sun's other pokémon were hesitant around her.

Decidueye threatened the possessed Sun by getting his arrow ready and aiming it at him. Glaceon, Vanilluxe, Sandslash, Froslass, and Ninetales stood alongside Decidueye. They prepared their attacks as well.

Sun merely brushed them off. "Go ahead. You'll only just hurt Sun's body more than it already has." Realizing that he was right, the pokémon were forced to stand down. "That's better. Now come, come! We were in the middle of storytime," He suggested cheekily. The pokémon sat around Lillie, protecting her just in case.

"It's okay guys. He isn't going to hurt us. We're just talking is all," Lillie reassured them. The pokémon were still wary of the possessed Sun but trusted Lillie's words.

"You tamed the wild beasts!" Sun mused, getting a growl in return from Ninetales. "Ay, where was I again?"

"You were about to tell me what happened after you went in the wormhole!" Lillie replied eagerly. She was relatively I intrigued by the events that led up to where they are now. It slowly changed her perspective of Marshadow. It wasn't as evil as she thought it was. It only wanted to help Sun, though judging by where they were now, it didn't go over so well. Even so, Marshadow was doing all it can to make sure Sun doesn't suffer any more injuries.

Sun frowned. "Right. This is my least favorite part. I was really stupid enough to trust Big 'Rozma. I found it floating around here so I asked it if it could help me out. In hindsight, I guess it did work out, just not the way I envisioned it." He ran his hand through his hair wistfully.

Lillie leaned in closer. "Then why are you possessing Sun? That doesn't help either of you." Her long awaited question was about to be answered.

"Tell me this human." Sun eyed Lillie face to face. "Have you ever considered the possibility that Sun isn't the only one possessed here?"

Lillie furrowed her brow. "Huh? If someone else was being possessed than that would be…" She clasped her hands over her mouth to hide her gasp. She pointed a shaky finger at Sun.

Sun nodded, confirming her conclusion. "Give the human a cookie! She finally has it all sorted out! I never intended to possess anyone. Big 'Rozma promised me that it would help us if I help it get more power. It didn't sound terrible at the time so I agreed. A second later I find myself brainwashed by that massive idiot. It demanded that I go and find Sun. It needed a human to catch Ultra Beasts and since I brought him up, Big 'Rozma picked him as the candidate," He said, ashamed of being tricked so easily.

Sun finished up the rest of his story, "It took forever until Sun came back to Alola. Under Necrozma's control, I eventually found him during some fireworks display. You know the rest. Combined, we sought out to do Big 'Rozma's bidding. I have to admit, but we did a fine job catching those three Ultra Beasts. We were on our way to four until we encounter Lunala and Solgaleo. We chased them down all the way to Alola. And that's where you came in. We all went back to the Ultra Wormholes after Dusk Mane Necrozma was formed but you… you're a persistent human. You came in after us, but we knocked you out. Dusk Mane Necrozma is possession Solgaleo, so it released me of its hold so it could go train without wasting energy on me. I waited for you to wake up and that's that."

Lillie pitied the pokémon. Marshadow didn't have a choice. Sun was spared a while longer because he was in Kanto, but that didn't explain how he knew about Ultra Beasts.

"Sun knew about Ultra Beasts when he went to Kanto. Did you know how, Mr. Marshadow?" She asked politely with a kind smile. That smile wavered when Sun smirked evilly.

"I would tell you, but you'd just betray them like you did to Sunny boy here." Lillie sank her head low. "I accessed his memories so I indeed do know the culprit. If it's any consolation, you do know the person."

 _'Who else kept tabs with Sun? As far as I know, only Hau and Sophocles were on good terms with him. Someone I know sold us out, but who?'_ The question lingered around her mind. She would have to bring it up to her mother so a proper investigation could be done.

"If that's all." Sun stood up. "I should go get ready. Big 'Rozma can show up at any minute. You and your pokémon should hide. I can tell it that you fell down." He put his hand on the back of his head and walked off.

Lillie watched Sun walk away. It was a familiar sight to her by now. Sun would leave and she had no power to stop. Her eyes were watering. The whole point of coming here in the first place was to save Sun from the not so evil Marshadow. Instead, she had a chat with him. While it did answer a lot of her questions, that could have easily been her time to strike.

"Get behind me," Lillie whispered to the pokémon. She was going to take action. He was right there. Lillie could feel Sun's freedom in her grasp. All she had to do was convince Marshadow to free him. Her words weren't effective when she begged it to do so.

There was always a Plan B.

"Marshadow!!!" Lillie cried out aggressively. She sprinted towards the possessed boy and tackled him to the ground. "If you think I'd let you go so easily then you're sadly mistaken. Release my best friend right now!" She had Sun pinned to the ground. Her tears were dripping down her face and landing on Sun's damaged shirt. Her face showed all signs of not backing down, even behind the tears.

Sun stared right back lazily. "Sun can't be-"

Lillie lifted up his head and slammed it back down. "Yes he can! You just don't want to! Create a wormhole so we can all escape together!" She yelled in his face.

Sun spat on her face. "Don't you think that I would've tried that the moment that Big 'Rozma set me free?! I could only create Ultra Wormholes because I was under his control. It's an Ultra Beast, meaning with some of his power on me, I can gain some of their abilities, including the wormhole nonsense." He struggled to escape from Lillie's hold, which was surprising to say the least. "Get off of me! You're never getting your friend back just like how I'm never getting my life back! You still have a chance to run and never come back so go do it!" He finally pushed her off and ran…

Only for Lillie to pull on his foot, causing Sun to trip.

"We can fight Necrozma together!" Lillie brought the back of Sun's head to her chest and held him dearly. "You have Ultra Beasts. I have Sun's team. We can do it!"

"Impossible!" Sun rejected the idea. "I tell you, I've tried everything to get out of this place. Yesterday I tried to take down Big 'Rozma my team. We didn't even stand a chance. It dealt pain to us for defying orders and put more restrictions. Get out of here while you still can! You have friends, they'll get you out of here. Big 'Rozma won't let me or Sun go. We're the core to its power."

"No! No! No!" Lillie hugged him tighter. "We can do it together! I know we can! You can come out of Sun and help fight! We'll escape without you needing to posses Sun again. Please…" Lillie was at her breaking point. She could feel a mental breakdown come at any moment.

"Human…" Sun stopped what he was going to say.

"Please. Please. Just give me Sun back. I lo… I care about him a lot! Please. I want Sun… Sun…. Sun…." Lillie hugged Sun's body longer, showing now signs of wanting to let go. "My friends and I have been through so much trying to get him back. Sun's my best friend, we've promised to watch each others back. Please, just free my best friend. Please…"

Lillie's eyes were pouring like a waterfall. Several tears dropped down from her face to the top of her pink Ultra Guardian uniform. The pure desperation was evident in her voice. Her voice cracked several times, showings how broken she felt on the inside. Lillie held on to Sun's possessed form as if her life depended on it. This could probably be the last time she ever saw him now that Necrozma was unleashed.

"Fine!" Sun gave in. "I'll hand you over your friend. Just know when I separate from Sun, Big 'Rozma will know immediately and come here. I'm trusting you human. Your plan better work, everyone here is at a high risk, pokémon alike. Our lives are in your hands now. Don't make me regret this. Now get off of me! I can't do this with you clinging on me!" Sun growled.

 _'I-is this real?'_ Lillie heartbeat accelerated by the second while she quickly back away to give Sun some space. The pokémon gathered around, with Altaria standing by Lillie. Lillie grabbed its neck and hugged it with all her might as she prepared to watch the extraction in process. Altaria eyes popped wide open. It struggled to breathe but kept it's cool for Lillie's sake.

"Word of advice. Don't expect your friend to be awake anytime soon. His body has suffered from exhaustion and the blows that I received while in control." Sun took a deep breath and glanced over at Lillie one final time. "The pokémon that I've gathered can battle on their own. You can lead them to. The rule of having only six pokémon doesn't apply here since there's no one to enforce it. It's going to be difficult using thirteen pokémon. Only use my team when some of yours are down or when you see an opening. I'll give your a brief overview of their moves if you please," He proposed, taking out three Beast Balls and three poké balls.

"Okay!" Lillie nodded, beyond elated. Sun gave Lillie the basics of the pokémon he acquired for two minutes. Once he was done, Sun gave Lillie one final wave.

"I never have had a proper greeting with a human. You wanted to know my goal, Lillie. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to find a human who can take me under their wing. Years of traveling alone can be quite depressing. I've thought about settling down, but I couldn't find the right human who meets my requirements. That was until I met Sun. I helped him in hopes of him taking me with him as a thanks. None of that can happen now even if you save him. I have too much baggage for any trainer to carry," He finished, forcing a smile.

Lillie understood its predicament. She had one final question in mind now that Marshadow opened up. "What was Sun's goal?" It was a simple question.

 _'Mina told me it involved my mother.'_ She remembered.

"His goal." Sun tapped his shoes together nervously. "You saw back there how I reacted towards Team Rocket. A bit of Sun came out during that exchange."

"What are you saying?" Lillie visibly recalled the scene. She couldn't add up the pieces together though.

"Sun needed an Ultra Beast… well to destroy the entire Team Rocket organization for revenge," The possessed Sun admitted, dropping the bombshell on Lillie.

Lillie's eyes widened in shock. "R-revenge!? And the whole Team Rocket organization?! What's that got to do with my mother? Why did he want revenge? Why all of Team Rocket!?" She shot multiple questions towards the possessed Sun.

Sun responded with a small smile. "Goodbye, Lillie. It's been fun talking to you. And do make Sun happy. I may have not been able to help like I intended but I wish for him to have a good life."

"Wait!" She yelled. Her questions weren't going to be answered any time soon.

A black cloud emerged out of Sun's body and created a shadow on the ground. The aura from Sun's body vanished all at once. Sun's body fell forward, but Lillie catched him in time.

"Sun!" Lillie cried out his name, hugging him tightly. Like Marshadow said, he wasn't awake. Having him back was enough for Lillie. Sun's pokémon rejoiced to themselves from having their trainer back.

Marshadow popped up from the shadow on the ground. Its physical description matched Mina's and so did her drawing. Mina's artistic ability was something to behold. With its yellow pupils, Marshadow stared at Lillie with a straight face.

"Thank you," Lillie thanked it graciously. Marshadow just stood there, not showing any emotion. It was behaving differently than when it was in Sun's body. Perhaps it was because of the lack of communication. Or maybe because it was back in its original form.

Suddenly, a large screech echoed throughout the sky. Faster than Lillie could comprehend, Dusk Mane Necrozma bolted to the sky and arrived to their location in record time. It looked at Sun, then at Lillie, then finally at Marshadow.

It roared, not liking that Marshadow was free. Marshadow pointed to Sun's body and then at Lillie.

"R-right! Stay safe right here, Sun." Lillie gently laid Sun on the ground and grabbed the poké balls from his pockets "Come on out!" She tossed the poké balls toward. In front of her was Blacephalon, Xurkitree, Stakataka, Pyroar, Aerodactyl, and a newly evolved Electivire. Their eyes turned to Marshadow.

Marshadow pointed its hand to Dusk Mane Necrozma and balled up its fist. The three pokémon and three Ultra Beasts understood and got into battle stance.

Sun's pokémon marched forward, standing beside them. Xurkitree, Blacephalon, Electrive, Pyroar, and Aerodactyl recognized them as the ones who beat them in battle. Instead of reacting harshly, they nodded in respect for the pokémon who bested them. They returned the gesture politely.

Snowy hid behind Ninetales, terrified by Dusk Mane Necrozma. Ninetales ushered her to go to the sidelines with Sun and Altaria.

"You don't have to fight Snowy," Lillie told her pokémon. Snowy nuzzled her face into Ninetales' stomach and hurried over to hide behind Altaria's poofy body with Sun.

"Alright!" Lillie clenched her fists with a serious look on her face. She glared daggers at the livid Dusk Mane Necrozma. "We're not going down without a fight! You aren't going to be hurting Nebby, Marshadow, and Sun anymore!"

A shiny glint flickered across Lillie's eyes. A spark of confidence surged her body seeing as they had an numbers advantage along with strong pokémon and Ultra Beasts. A small smile made it to her lips, beaming with determination.

The battle for Sun's freedom was going to come to an end with either everyone escaping or no one at all.

The intense battle was going underway.

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Author's Note: The battle will take place towards the end of the next chapter so it can both mesh in together. As for the next episode of the anime that comes out later this week, I can see it having importance in this story in some way so it won't be skipped. I still don't got a new story summary ready, it might be updated during the time I take typing the next chapter. As I said above, the Ultra Guardians will take the stand next chapter. It'll be them, versus Looker and Team Skull. Then there'll be the part where they find Lunala, but all traces of Lillie are nowhere to be found. Who ever ratted out about the Ultra Beasts to Sun will still remain a mystery for now._** ** _The scene where Lillie wakes up in the past with all her memories intact was inspired by a scene by The Walking Dead: Season Two game. I thought it was pretty sweet so I added in my version of it here. The reference I made in that about Hau and the singing ponies should ring a bell. If not, it's My Little Pony. I was into that fandom a few years back (No longer am interested in it) and it's when I started publishing stories in its site, FimFiction. It's funny when I try to look back at it because my writing was terrible back then. I can't even read it without cringing at how bad it was. You don't have to like the fandom, but if you want to see my early works, I use the same username for this and that site. I just made the jab of it in this chapter as a joke to myself._** ** _Speaking of Hau, he and Moon are still going to be in the arc. I'm still deciding whether I should end it next chapter or keep it going for one more. You'll see what I decide in the next chapter. Stay tuned!_**


	23. An Ultra Mishap

**_Long Author's Note: As promised, this chapter is solely on the Ultra Guardians. There's even some Moon and Hau in the mix. The Lillie versus Necrozma battle will be next chapter. The arc as a whole will end either next chapter or the one following that. Depends on how much I expand on certain topics. I found a way to incorporate Ash's pokémon into the story whole also adding in Sun's recovery into the mix. I don't want to give away too much but the reason behind this follows a line towards the end of the Sun and Moon game. It all depends on what the anime does with Misty and Brock's return. I want to see how that goes before doing anything, though if it takes too long I'll come up with a different way._** ** _I didn't fully edit this chapter because I want it out as soon as possible because I have other things to do. It's going to be a busy first half of the week for me. Call it procrastination getting the best of me. Anyway, enjoy the chapter._**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

 **xxxxx**

Before the battle between Lillie and Necrozma took place, the Ultra Guardians were also having their own issues to deal with. Their attempt to go after Lillie and Lunala was cut short when a man by the name of Looker came and stopped them with his team. They were known as the International Force.

Even with the number advantage that they had, the Ultra Guardians were confident enough that they could take them on.

That's when Team Skull came. Team Skull and Looker formed a temporary alliance against the Ultra Guardians. Now, Ash, Gladion, Lana, Sophocles, Kiawe, and Mallow had their work cut out for them.

A realization struck Ash before the battle began. "Wait a minute. If the adults are all sleepy, how come you all aren't?" It was true, Looker was an adult. Why he hadn't suffered the effects like the other adults was a complete mystery to Ash.

"We're not that old you know!" One of the agents cried out.

"Who are you calling adults?!" A Team Skull grunt barked.

"Eh?" Ash's eyes turned into dots. "How old even are you guys?"

Looker stepped up. "My team requires hopeful youthful teens who can rise to the call. They're more athletic and can move around easily. Why else do you think Sun and Mina were at the top of the ranks?" Now it was Team Skull's turn to answer.

"We all have one thing in common. We all failed the Island Challenge." They all nodded in agreement. "We were all younglings with bright hopes of beating the challenge. As you can see, that didn't happen. Whether it was Jenercocio or Guzma, they both gave us an alternative path to follow. A place to call home. Our parents wouldn't have understood. But in Team Skull, we're all a family. We look after each other and we don't look back at the past. Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Galactic, Plasma, and Flare have nothing on us! Team Skull is the best! Team Skull number one!" The grunt finished his speech, raising his fist in the air.

Some of the grunts had tears in their eyes from his heartfelt speech. Other cheered in agreement. Looker rolled his eyes, having heard the same thing over and over from them. The Ultra Guardians were astounded by his words. It made them see Team Skull from a different perspective.

Gladion scoffed, "Sounds like a bunch of angsty teens to me."

"Like you're one to talk!" Everyone present said to Gladion's blank face. They quickly went back to glaring at each other.

Looker cleared his throat. "Of course, I was already prepared. With my superior intelligence and my brilliant scientists, we were able to make a substance capable of resisting any effects of Ultra Aura. Naturally, it wasn't that hard to create with the help of that traitor, Sun. Makes me wonder how he gets all of his information…" Looker trailed off, thinking about the answer to his own question.

"Incredible." Professional Burnet said softly. She, Lusamine, Faba, and Wicke had looks of jealousy written on their faces. They didn't fully understand the concept of Ultra Beasts and aura. It was a work in process. Now they were being told that someone else was far ahead of them in the category. They had a right to envy Looker and his force.

"Haha! Yeah! When we get Sun back, we'll teach him a lesson for infiltrating our base for his own gain! He even got Jenercocio arrested. Yes, revenge will be sweet!" The leading grunt high-fived one of his buddies cockily.

Mallow blinked several times. "Wait. Can you repeat that?" Kiawe and the adults bore similar confused expressions.

'Here it comes.' Sophocles prepared himself for what was going to come. He couldn't stop what was going to happen next.

Ash and Lana were also on edge. Sun had specifically instructed them that they were to not tell anyone about his motive for joining Team Skull and leaving Alola. Specifically, Kiawe and Mallow.

Gladion flat out didn't care. He didn't know it was supposed to be a secret, hence why he stopped listening in on the conversation. Instead, he began to come up with a plan on how they were going to beat the two factions.

Looker smirked, amused with Team Skull. "Please. We were the ones who told him to keep an eye on you. It just so happened that he got kidnapped by you idiots. Sun would've made it out there easy, but we insisted he stay so he can take out the leader. Plan worked one perfectly, as expected. He left soon afterwards to take a much deserved break while also sending in new intel to us." He explained.

Lusamine did her best to glare at the man. "You… you forced a boy to go under Team Skull's rules? How cruel can you get… you…" She yawned, no longer able to hold it back.

"We didn't force him. He wanted to do it after we told him of the benefits of having Team Skull gone. Seems like if anything, Sun just wanted to live in a peaceful region, as champion, with his stupid little brainless friends." He started to laugh with his force mimicking his actions.

"N-no…" Mallow fell on her rear, dropping the crutches down. She couldn't believe it. After all this time, Sun really was on their side. Everything he did had a purpose. He cared about everyone which was why he did it. It came at the cost of losing his friends. It was no wonder why he hated everyone when he came back. They turned their backs on him when they thought he betrayed them. In reality, it was the opposite.

"No! No!" Everything Mallow blamed on Sun was a complete lie. It was her fault that their entire friendship went downhill. She was jealous of Sun and Lillie's friendship, causing her to drift away from Sun. Then she left Sun in the dust, ending it for good. Tears began to run freely down her face as she was faced with the hard truth.

Sun had done nothing wrong. He placed his truth on Mallow… on everyone that everything was going to be okay. Yet, she didn't listen. Only Sophocles did so their friendship was never strained. All those times she treated Sun so miserably made waves of guilt surpass her. The most being when she blatantly made brought his dad up in a harsh manner. She deserved everything that happened to her. Her broken friendships, her broken foot, everything.

All because Sun tried his best to keep her as a friend.

"Sun… I'm so sorry." Mallow thought it was a stupid thing to say. After everything that has happened, she only now decided to open up her eyes. He may very well not be coming back. Her apology meant nothing without it being said in front of Sun's face. Even then, in what circumstance would Sun even try to hear her out? The damage was already done. It would take a big miracle for that to happen and miracles have never been an occurrence for Mallow.

Memories flashed through her head, each one only increasing the amount of guilt in her as well as the tears pouring down her face. Sun was right after all. Their broken friendship was everyone's fault, including hers for being so stubborn as to not hearing out anyone's defense for Sun.

"No! Gah!" Kiawe flung his arms to the air and groaned. "Stupid, stupid!" He scolded himself angrily. He knew something was up when Mina slipped up on her wording back when they first met up. He chose to ignore it because he didn't hear it clearly. Now that he did, Kiawe felt like his head was going to explode.

He didn't know Sun as well as everyone else. Having met him last, they were more like friendly rivals than anything else. Kiawe still took in his supposed 'betrayal' hard. It made him develop a violent attitude towards Sun, often threatening to inflict physical harm on him. It made him realize why Lillie was so upset at him way back when Sun almost left Alola a second time. She still held an ounce of hope for him. The picture… it all made sense. Lillie always considered Sun a friend but he and Mallow insisted that he was a traitor. It eventually led to them finally persuading Lillie to join their side.

'I-I'm no better than what I thought Sun out to be.' Kiawe was ruthless. Breaking Lillie's strong friendship with Sun was the worst thing anyone can do to friends. He felt like a manipulator who interfered in something that was so imported to the blonde haired girl. Lillie missed Sun even after the events of his departure. They had to have reconciled at some point before his possession, which explained Lillie's motivation for getting Sun back. She must have known about this shocking truth. Why else would she have gone back and forth with Mallow?

'Who else could've known?' Kiawe pondered in his head.

"Aw man. Not like this." Sophocles was stressing over the truth finally being revealed. It was a bad time, making the situation worse. Unfortunately for him, Kiawe overheard him.

"What?" His voice suddenly grew more colder. "Don't tell me you knew about this from the start, Sophocles?" Sophocles had to back up because of Kiawe advancing towards him.

"Well…" Sophocles rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"You did." Kiawe gritted his teeth. "All of this drama could've been avoided if you had just gone and told us the truth in the first place! Why were you holding out on us, Sophocles!?" He put his hands on Sophocles aggressively.

Surprisingly, Sophocles wasn't the one to back down. He pushed Kiawe's hand away with force. "I wasn't holding out on anything! I've told everyone time, after time, after time that Sun and I weren't playing a prank! I even told everyone that Sun was doing this because he was forced to but no one believed me! You caused this because you were to engulfed in hatred to listen to reason!" He yelled, butting heads with Kiawe. Or in this case, Kiawe bended his upper body down to meet Sophocles' height.

"You could've tried harder!"

"And why should've I? You'd all just would've called me crazy like you all always do when you think I'm not around. Don't play games, Kiawe! I hear every little thing that you all say about me behind my back just because I was still friends with Sun!" He divulged their little secrets. It hurt whenever he heard his friends talk ill about him when he wasn't around.

"Uh… guys." Ash called out to them but to no avail.

Seeing their argument, Mallow turned her attention to Lana. "You knew too, didn't you? Is that why you were hanging out with Sun?"

"I-I… well, yes! But-" Lana tried to explain herself more rationally but Mallow wasn't having it.

"What the heck, Lana!? Kiawe's right. All of this could've been avoided if you spoke up. How long did you plan for this to go on? You just thought that you could waltz around and act like everything was normal?"

Lana shranked. "N-no! I would never! It's just that-" Once again, she was cut off by an agitated Mallow.

"You were the one begging for all three of us to be friends again! We could've been if you said something, anything about Sun's actions. Do you not care about me, Lana? Did you plan on just having a good time with Sun and leave me all alone?" Mallow's voice cracked a little as she went along with her belief. It happened with Sun and Lillie before, now with Sun and Lana. Mallow hated being left alone. She knew Sun since he was three for Tapu's sake! But he still chose Lillie over her. The process was going to repeat itself again.

"Why don't we all just take a deep breath." Ash said cautiously. He wasn't going to spill the beans that he knew Sun's secret too. As far as he knew, only Moon knew that Ash was in on the hidden truth. If he were to say it then it'd just make things worse.

"I'd never leave you alone, Mallow. How could you even think that I'd do something so awful?" Lana cried out, sporting a teary face as well. "I was willing to give Sun a chance. He trusted me with his secret. I will never break his trust again! Even if it meant keeping things from you." She looked down to the ground dejectedly.

Mallow was more ticked off then ever. "What about my trust, Lana? I told you how I felt since the beginning. How I was beginning to feel left out. You promise me that I'd always have you by my side." She laughed darkly. "But now you're being sneaky behind my back. What's Sun got that I don't know, huh!? Is he just a better friend than me? Is that it? Is that why you trust him more than me?"

Lana hugged herself to keep her from losing her composure. "No! I mean… don't make me choose, Mallow! Please… just stop."

Mallow clapped her hands. "Oh that's right! I know." She was at her breaking point. "To this day, nothing has changed. You're opinion of Sun still remained even after you told me how much you despised him for 'betraying' us." She did the finger quotes with her fingers. Her mind was at overdrive. She couldn't control what she was going to next. It was at the heat of the moment. Not even their long friendship could stop her from shouting out her next statement.

"You only have so much trust in him because you're the one who has a giant crush on him!!!" Mallow shouted at the top of her lungs. Her eyes burst wide open and she immediately clasped her hands over her mouth. But it was too late. She couldn't take back what she said.

A series of gasps filled the area. Looker was getting the pleasurement of watching their team crumble to the ground all because of Sun. Team Skull was getting a kick out of the drama. Their amusement halted as soon as Mallow uttered those faithful words. The adults gasped but then shrugged. Their sleepy demeanor kept them from caring.

Ash's jaw dropped to the ground, stunned by the bombshell. Kiawe and Sophocles stopped their argument and they couldn't help but gasp along with everyone else. They always wondered why Lana was so shy when it came to Sun, and now they had their answer.

Gladion was snapped out of his thoughts and heard the shocking revelation. Not knowing any of them well, it was the most surprising to him. His mind drifted towards Lillie, mentally glad that she wasn't here to hear it. This only made his opinion of Mallow decline further, starting with the jab she made of Sun's deceased father. Sharing someone's secrets was way out of the line, even for Gladion.

As for Lana, her feet were stuck on the ground like glue. She cupped her mouth with her hands and felt her whole body freeze. She could feel the many eyes and on her, just as she feared. Her face paled as white as a ghost. Her heart rate almost stopped when Mallow revealed her most embarrassed secret and she said it with no remorse.

Lana's secret came out. The one she kept hidden for so long. The one that Lana trusted Mallow with after she told Lana about her issues with Sun. The worst thing about it was that it was in front of all her friends. She sees them every day, but now she wanted to hide from them. She couldn't bear facing them again.

By Lana's standards, Mallow was a more horrible person than Moon. At least Moon didn't had the decency to not say anything when she found out. A person that she barely knew was more trustworthy than a friend she she knew since she was a child.

"L-lana! Wait! I-I didn't mean it…" Mallow laughed nervously. "I-I was just joking around! I'm just rambling m-my stupid mouth. Hehe…" She attempted to take it back but to no avail. No one believed it one bit.

"Mallow…" Lana's face was covered in even more tears. "H-how could you!?" Before Mallow could say anything else, Lana ran away from the team. Her Popplio and Dratini went after her in concern. The group of agents and grunts made a path for them as they left.

"Lana!" Mallow wanted to go after her, but with her broken foot she wouldn't be able to catch up to her. "Ugh!" Mallow threw one of her crutches to the right in frustration. A groan of pain came from one of the grunts who was unfortunate enough to be in the path of the crutch.

"Wow. Who knew a brat can spill the tea like that." A female grunt murmured. Team Skull gave a round of nods at her words.

"Erm…" Kiawe scratched his head awkwardly. "That… was a thing."

"Yep…" Sophocles didn't know what to say either.

"Poor Lillie, what would she say about this." Lusamine said quietly, mainly because she was too tired to talk.

"Quiet mother!" Gladion heard what she said and hushed her. There was no need for two secrets to come out.

Ash hugged one of his arms. "Guess that would explain why she was always around during training." He looked down at the sulking Mallow. "Are you going to be alright, Mallow?"

"No." Mallow balled up her fist and wiped the pouring tears from her eyes. "No I'm not. First Sun, now Lana. I'm a terrible friend." Ash was about to protest until a voice grabbed their attention.

"Cut the sappy stuff out." Looker folded his arms, unamused. "Who cares if something has a crush on the target? Get back to the task in hand."

"Grandpa's got a point!" A grunt exclaimed, much to Looker's annoyance. "We aren't here to watch romantic drama. We're here for a fight. You lost two members now and I doubt that cry baby over there can even battle." He referred to Mallow, who was still on the ground crying. "Four against… how many of us there are! It's a lot. You ought to just give up and lead us to Sun!"

"Yeah!" Team Skull cheered in perfect unison.

Gladion sighed, frustrated. "He's right. Even if we do have stronger pokémon, there's too many of them to keep count of." He surmised to Ash.

"We can at least try, right?" Ash replied. "We can't give up without trying."

Kiawe's eyes lit up in fire. "Ash is right! We're the Ultra Guardians! We don't go down without a fight!" He raised his fist up in determination. "We have z moves and they don't!"

"Actually." Looker cut in abruptly. "With no Ultra Aura means you can't execute a z move." The Ultra Guardians faces fell at that. "You people really don't know anything. Heck, I expected that the Aether Foundation would at least know that."

"Hey!" Lusamine glared at the grey haired man. "I'll have you know, I can have Faba teach you a lesson for disrespecting us."

Faba merely looked up from his gaming device. "Ugh, what a pain!" He went back to playing his games, making Wicke angry.

Wicke slapped the back of his head, almost knocking off his glasses. "You won't go against the president's orders on my watch. Go do the thing!" She pushed Faba closer to Looker, dropping his gaming device in the process.

"No…" He whimpered. Faba faced Looker with a bored expression. "Who are you looking, gramps?"

Looker snapped his fingers. "Seize him." In an instant, four of Looker's agents knocked him down. One good hit managed to knock Faba out. An agent got out some handcuffs and unofficially arrested him.

"Faba!" The adults and the Ultra Guardians huddled up closer while Faba was being taken away by the International Force. These people meant business.

"Looker, please! You don't have to do this! I thought we were on good terms! Don't you remember what happened in the Sinnoh and Unova regions?" Ash reminded him in an attempt to persuade him to stand down.

Looker sighed, "Listen Ash, while I do appreciate your help back then this is what has to be done. Unless." He eyed him deviously. "You want to join us. You'll make an excellent addition to the International Force. Bring some of your old pokémon while you're at it. They're some of your strongest after all."

'He does have a point.' Ash knew that his Alola pokémon weren't quite top level but training would fix that. He missed his other pokémon at times but he was sure that they were doing fine at Professor Oak's lab.

'Then again, I do have one more spot to fill.' Ash considered Poipole as a part of his team regardless if he didn't use it to battle. It was his friend, like the rest of his team. He hadn't thought about the last empty position in his team. He just wanted to have fun.

However, all good things at to come to an end and it was about time that Ash got serious.

"No way!" Ash declined Looker's offer. "You want to hurt Sun. He's my friend! I'll do whatever it takes to defend his honor!" He purposely didn't mention Sun's possession. There was a possibility that Looker and Team Skull didn't know about it. Otherwise, they'd take advantage of it.

"Tch." Looker clicked his tongue. "So be it. Sun's coming with us no matter what. You bunch are just a minor roadblock. This shouldn't take long." Looker pulled out two poké balls and released them.

"So those are his pokémon." Gladion observed the two pokémon battling for Looker. They were Toxicroak and Arcanine, two formidable opponents.

"It's our go now!" Team Skull each at one pokémon on hand. Multiple Zubat, Rattata, Raticate, Salandit, Trubbish, and Garbodor were surrounding the Ultra Guardians.

"Now us!" Now there were Herdiers, Machokes, Machops, Spearows, and Ariados' in the fray. The Ultra Guardians realized how outnumbered they were. Things didn't look too good for them.

"I'll give you one more offer. Go down easily and we won't be aggressive. Then lead us to Sun and we'll be on our way." Looker proposed his last offer.

Ash, Gladion, Kiawe, and Sophocles exchange glances and nodded to each other.

"Fat chance! Come on guys, let's give it our all!" Ash exclaimed with pride. Although, Rowlet and Torracat were banged up from their battle with Lillie earlier, they toughed it out in order to battle alongside their comrades.

"Team Skull, charge!!!"

"Agents, roll out!!"

Ash saw incoming Zubats heading his way. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu sprang up in the air and fired several bolts of electricity to the Zubats. The Zubats cried out in pain and plummeted to the ground.

Sophocles spotted a couple of Machops coming at him. "Charjabug, String Shot. After that, Togedemaru, use Zing Zap!"

Charjabug shot out a string of white thread from its mouth and hit it on four of the Machops legs. This prevented then from moving. Togedemaru began to charge herself with volts of electricity. She spun rapidly for several moments before ramming herself to one of the Machops and rebounded to the next one and so forth. It wasn't enough to keep them out of the battle, but it did knock them down briefly.

Kiawe had his own problems. The big Garbodors and Salandits skidded to his direction.

"Marowak, watch yourself!" He advised the bone club pokémon. "Turtonator, Flamethrower!" Turtonator spat out a burst of flames from his mouth. Some of the Salandits were hit by the attack but most avoided it. The Garbodors weren't hit by it.

Kiawe saw an opportunity when the Salandits were in a single file line. "Use Bonemerang, Marowak!"

Marowak let out a war cry and flung its bone club as hard as it could. The bone club it all of the Salandits straight in the face and came back hitting them on the back of their heads. The Salandits were immobilized for now.

"Now use Flare Blitz on the Garbodor!" Kiawe instructed. Marowak tapped its bone club on its head three times, which set the bone club on fire. It spun the bone club around fast, engulfing itself into fire as well. It pounced towards one of the Garbodors, taking it straight down to the ground. "Follow it up with Shadow Bone!"

Marowak landed on the ground and spun its bone club once again. This time, there was purple flames on the ends of the bone club and blue flames at the center. Marowak jumped towards the second Garbodor and struck it with its weapon, creating a burst of blue and purple flames. It repeated this with the remaining Garbodors, effectively taking them down.

Gladion easily took out the Raticates and Rattatas in his way with Silvally and Umbreon. He stood face to face against his next foe, Looker.

"You look like you're having fun." Looker joked, poking fun at Gladion's stern expression. "And I'm here to spoil it! Arcanine, hit that Umbreon with Fire Fang!"

Arcanine produced a fire-like fang in the air and hovered it above Umbreon. It chomped its fiery jaw on it, causing Umbreon to stagger.

"Toxicroak! Mud Bomb!" Toxicroak produced a ball of mud and chucked it at Umbreon.

"Shadow Ball!" Umbreon quickly recovered and created a purple aura ball with its mouth. It flung it over to the Mud Bomb and destroyed it. "Lycanroc! Help Umbreon and use Stone Edge!"

Lycanroc growled and crushed its paws on the ground. Multiple jagged rocks came up from the ground and to Looker's pokémon. Toxicroak and Arcanine managed to get out of the way.

Tsareena was out of the count easily. Without Mallow, she was clueless on what to do. Mallow and the rest of the adults were caught by now.

More helicopters appeared up in the sky. Several agents came down a rope and joined in on the battle.

"Turtonator, use Flamethrower on him. No him! No… um..." Kiawe couldn't make up his mind. This proved fatal as more pokémon joined in and unleashed their attacks on Turtonator and Marowak. Neither of them survived the onslaught for much longer.

"No!" Kiawe was knocked to the ground by Team Skull grunts that saw an opportunity once his pokémon were down.

"Kiawe!" Sophocles was distracted by the sight of his friend down. "Wah!" A Sludge Bomb almost hit him in the legs. The surprise caused Sophocles to lose his footing. Team Skull capitalizes on this again and dog piled Sophocles into submission.

Poipole began to panic and flew around all over the place. It was eventually cornered by a pack of Spearows ready to attack.

"Poipole!" Ash pushed passed all the people in his way to go save Poipole. A lucky grunt got him by the arm. "Let go of me!" Ash kicked him in the shin, which made the grunt let go. He continued to press forward. The numbers eventually caught up to him and he was tackled to the floor.

The sole survivor was now Gladion. He was in a pickle. He was surrounded by people on every corner. Gladion had his pokémon get behind him for more cover.

"Give it up boy! We'll go easy on you and your pokémon if you do!" Looker offered.

Finding no other option, Gladion sighed and reluctantly put his hands up on the air.

 ** _At Lana's House..._**

"Poor Red! He shouldn't be isolating himself up on Mt. Silver for so long!" Moon sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Harper and Sarah looked at her as if she was crazy.

"What's the big deal? It's just a show." Harper said, disinterested. Sarah nodded in agreement.

Moon's head snapped in their direction. Anger and disbelief was written on her face. It made the twins cower on the end of the couch as Moon towered over them.

"Just a show? Just a show!?" She screeched. "Red is an all time battle legend! This is based on a true story, recounting Red's time as a pokémon trainer with his rival, Blue in his way. He defeats Team Rocket, he beats Blue, he claims the title champion, he's everyone's hero in Kanto and you call it just a show!?" She finished her loud ranting, huffing and puffing angrily.

Harper and Sarah's lips started to quiver and they soon began to burst into tears. Moon realized her mistake and quickly tried to fix it.

"Wait! Ah! I was just kidding around! Don't take it so seriously! Please stop crying!" Moon pleaded. Their dad was stirring, stimulating for fear into Moon.

"Wah! Moon is so mean!" Sarah cried out.

"We want Lana back!" Harper sniffled. The rebellious Moon was not what they expected. She was just a big bully. They wanted the caring and honest Lana back.

Suddenly, the door opened, making Moon yelp in fear. It was none other than Lana and boy was she a crying mess!

"Lana!!!" Harper and Sarah ran to their older sister and hugged her tightly. "Moon was being-"

"L-leave me alone!" Lana lightly pushed the twins away and hurried inside her room. She slammed the door loudly.

Moon stood up and peered over at Lana's door. "What's with her? Did someone break or heart or something?" She was somewhat close to the truth.

Harper and Sarah got over their crying and it was replaced with worried faces. The twins and Moon curiously tip toed closer to Lana's door and pressed their ears to listen in.

"Why did Mallow have to t-tell everyone that I like Sun? I-I told her that in secret! Now I can't ever show m-my face again!" Lana's sobs were audible enough for them to hear from behind the door.

"Yeesh." Moon cringed, her eyes softening. "Did green really just expose her like that in public?" She threatened Lana in the past about revealing her secret crush on Sun but she would never do it. It was more like messing around with Lana than anything else. Moon wouldn't have stooped that low.

It made sense that Lana was so emotionally distressed over it. A shy girl like her would be of someone leaked their secret crush. Unlike Moon, she clearly displayed her affection of Sun in public. It didn't embarrass her the slightest. For once during her stay, Moon actually felt bad for Lana. Even if they were both crushing on the same person.

"Poor Lana." Harper spoke softly. Hearing her big sister crying made her sad.

"How could Mallow do something like that? I thought they were friends." Sarah started to grow hatred towards the green haired girl for making Lana cry, especially when it was about Sun.

"Does she really care about something like a silly crush so much?" Moon said, peeved because of who Lana liked.

"Lana's liked Sun since they became friends." Sarah hummed. "It said so in her diary. She's always tried to find a way to explore her feelings more but she shied away when it came to facing Sun."

"That's why Lana's so secretive about it. She's so afraid that Sun would turn her down. She doesn't say much so she won't give it away. Lana's scared that her friends would go and tell him without her consent." Harper added in solemnly. "She only told Mallow about it when our mother accidentally let it slip. Mallow is one of her closest friends. I don't know if they will ever be friends after today."

Moon took in their words intently. "I see. So she's the 'shy girl who can't talk to the guy' type." She was elbowed by both of the twins.

"You have to go in and cheer her up!" They insisted.

"What?! No way! We don't even like each other!" Moon protested.

"If you don't then we'll tell Mom that you made us cry!" Harper threatened.

"Yeah! And Dad too!" Sarah piped in.

Moon lowered her head and sighed. "Fine! Tattletales." Finding that the door was locked, Moon fished out a bobby pin from her pocket and went straight to work.

A minute later, Moon cracked the lock and opened the door. Inside, she found Lana on her bed, clutching a pillow tightly in her chest. Her faces was buried deep in her mattress and she was lightly sobbing.

It was pathetic in Moon's eyes and she decided to put an end to it.

"Oi, Lana! Get up!!!" Lana squeaked in surprise, not hearing Moon come in the room. "Up! Up!" Moon grabbed a ruler out of nowhere and slapped it against the wall. Lana fell out of the bed with the pillow still in her arms.

"H-how did you get in my room?" Lana shrieked. Moon closed the door so the twins wouldn't be able to drop in.

Moon pulled out a bobby pin. "Lockpicked it. Learned it on my own. Helps out when Sunny tries to lock his door on me!" She answered innocently, making Lana sweatdrop.

"I-I locked it for a reason! I want to be alone…" Lana hid her face closer to her pillow.

"Relax. The twins wanted me to cheer you up so here I am!" Moon puffed out her chest with pride.

Lana's eyes dropped. "Why did they blackmail you with?" She put out bluntly.

Lana was used to the twins' antics. Having to live with them on a daily basis, they often would catch her in the act. Whether it be taking the last cookie from the cookie jar, going out late with Lapras, or sneakily talking on the phone late with Sun, they'd always find out sooner or later. Then it'd come down to whatever thing they wanted at the the time. She lost count of how much money she spent on them.

Moon deflated. Her smirk disappearing. "Well…" She shook her head. "Forget about it! It doesn't matter. What does matter is how we're going to go get you over your embarrassment of having a super, duper, shmooper, gigantic, mega crush on Sunny." She said with no remorse.

Lana's face shined bright shiny crimson. "I don't like him that much." Moon over exaggerating it made Lana feel more abashed about it.

"Oh just stop it already." Moon rolled her eyes. "You write diary entries solely on Sun. They're like five pages long! You so have a tremendous, humongous, enormous, massive crush on Sunny." She argued. By now, Lana's blush reached to the bottom of her neck.

Lana shyly played with the carpet on the ground. "So what if I do?" Lana spoke as quietly as a mouse.

"I can't help but overhear that you're too humiliated to show your face in public again just because green told everyone about your huge crush on Sunny." She brushed it off as if it didn't really matter.

Lana's face got redder, but for a different reason. "Mall… green betrayed my trust! She told everyone my secret. And it was only because she was too stupid enough not to listen to anyone about Sun. She blamed me for breaking our friendship. Me! I didn't do anything wrong and she still had the nerve to backstab me!" Lana let out all of her anger, not caring that it was Moon that she was telling this to. She just wanted someone to talk to.

"Wow." Moon sat there, flabbergasted by Lana's words. The nice, honest girl that she was used wasn't there. Instead, there was a girl, broken because of having her trust broken by a close friend. "So ya know how Sun felt like now, huh?" She spoke seriously, dropping the nickname for Sun.

"What do you mean?" Lana inquired, not getting the point.

Moon deadpanned, "You all turned your back on him. You're getting a taste of your own medicine."

Lana mentally smacked herself on the forehead. How could've she forgotten about that? Sun trusted Lana enough to tell his reasoning for leaving Alola. It was an important part of everyone's lives. If anyone knew how she felt like right now it would have to be Sun.

Or so she thought.

"In a way, the same thing happened to me." Moon said with a distant look on her face. She took off her hat and messed around with it.

"Did someone hurt you?" Lana asked, genuinely confused. It wasn't like Moon to act so glum.

Moon chuckled, "I'm sure Sun told you how we met. Or maybe I did? It was during our first meeting and Sun mentioned that I knocked him out during our first encounter." A smile smile made its way to her lips. "Truth be told, I was more cold and aggressive than I am now. I was so jealous that Sun beat Brock and I didn't so I took out my frustrations on him."

Moon went on wistfully, "I acted the way I did because it was the only way I knew how to act. I was that kid who no one hanged out with because they thought I'd beat them up or something. My parents wouldn't have given a care about me anyway. They're away for work like everyday. I rarely ever see them, even on my birthday. It's been like that ever since I could remember."

"Who took care of you then?" Lana tucked in her legs closer to her chest, listening on curiously.

"There was this nice old woman that I would see every day. Her name was Miss Hikari. She lived next door so my parents got her to check up on me every few hours. Miss Hikari played with me, made food for me, and read me stories at night. Life wasn't great, but it was decent enough for me to manage through. But then one day changed all of that." Moon scooted closer to Lana. The blue haired girl in return gave her a reassuring smile to continue on.

"Miss Hikari took me to this spooky house. I said that I wanted to visit a scary house and she was nice enough to find one for us to visit. Of course, me being the idiot I am, wanted to go at night. We did and we were exploring the house for ghosts." Moon's eyes began to water as she talked. "I thought I heard something so I ran off to go find it. Miss Hikari tried to call out to me to stop but I didn't listen. It… it was the last time I saw her."

Lana gasped silently. Due to her strange habit of knowing every kind of scary story, she had an idea where this was going. She grabbed Moon's hand and squeezed it so she'd feel better.

Moon was beginning to break down. "I-I got lost. Th-the house was so big, I-I didn't know where to go. It w-was really dark s-so I was walking while having n-no clue where I was. I-I tried to find Miss Hikari, b-but I couldn't. I was forced to stay there until the s-sun came up. When it did, I-I thought Miss Hikari must have gone back so I r-ran home. She wasn't there. I-I called the cops to go find her in that h-house we went to. They came back and called my parents to come home. The cop told m-me that they found her and th-that she was going to a better place. I-I didn't know what it meant at the time… b-but I read the newspaper articles. Sh-she's gone. I didn't h-have the heart to read how."

Lana could feel her own tears start to come out after watching Moon start to fully cry. She felt ashamed by how she interpreted Moon. Moon had it worse than her. Here she was crying over a stupid crush while Moon was dealing with some serious issues. Lana couldn't imagine having to go through something so awful.

'Moon must think it was her fault.' If it were Lana, she'd feel the same exact way. Moon was young, she didn't know what she was doing at the time. It wasn't her fault, but she could see why Moon would think so. Judging by how Moon sounded like when talking about her parents, they must have left her all alone again after the tragic incident.

"Moon…" Lana brought in Moon for a hug and she accepted it gratefully. Moon pressed her face against Lana's shoulder and wept some more.

"M-miss Hikari… I'm so sorry!" Moon cried out, crying even louder than she did before. All Lana could do was lend her a shoulder to cry on as she revisited painful memories.

After a few minutes have passed, Moon calmed down. Though, she still clung onto Lana for support.

"Th-that day changed me. The kids at school always tried to scare me when they heard about it. I-It made me the tough and mean girl that you see. Only S-sun knows the real me. H-he was the only person who treated me kindly even after I was so rude to him. I miss him a lot. I-I… I want him back."

Lana patted the back of Moon's back to comfort her. Since Moon came out with her life story, Lana decided to not be embarrassed about having her friends to who she likes. She was glad that she didn't kick Moon out. Moon opened up a new world to her and that crying over a silly crush was nothing compared to what she experienced through.

However, that didn't mean that she was going to be so forgiving to Mallow. In fact, Lana wasn't sure if she'd ever be.

Just then, Harper and Sarah slowly opened the door. Thankfully, they didn't appear to have eavesdropped on the conversation. They looked as chipper as they usually do.

"Lana, someone wants to see you and Moon." Harper informed her.

"Someone wants to see us?" Lana repeated, puzzled. The Ultra Guardians couldn't have made it back so fast. She wondered who was at her door. Turning her attention to Moon, she gently rubbed her shoulder. "Come on, Moon. You can join us when you're ready, okay?"

Moon nodded sadly, hiding her teary face from the twins. Much to her relief, the twins didn't question her behavior.

Lana got up and headed to the door with the twins. She wiped some of the dry tears from her face and opened the door. Her eyes widened slightly at who it was.

"Hau?" It was Hau. He was standing outside the door with a rare angry expression on his face. Lana remembered that Hau was there when she and Sun made the arrangements to stay at her house. Hence why he knew where Moon was too.

Hau narrowed his eyes at Lana, adding in more confused to the blue haired girl.

"What's been happening while I wasn't here and what's up with Sun!?"

 ** _Later..._**

"Keep it moving!" Looker ordered. Now that the Ultra Guardians and the adults were captured, Looker was taking them away for questioning. Team Skull tagged along too, mainly because they didn't have a ride back to Melemele Island.

The International Police pushed the Ultra Guardians on their hidden ship. It was big enough for everyone to fit in. Not everyone was happy with the new arrangement.

Team Skull were already messing up the ship. They tinkered around with all of the equipment, much to the agents annoyance.

"Hands off the equipment!" Looker slapped their hands away from the expensive equipment. "You're only here because of our truce. I can break it any moment and throw all of you to the ocean! Just stand there and don't do anything!" He set the ship on full force, traveling at higher speeds than the usual ships of Alola.

"And you…" Looker grinned evilly at the caged Poipole. "You'll be destroyed from this world very soon. Team Rocket won't get their filthy hands on you." He set the cage securely under his arm.

"Give me back my Poipole!!" Ash yelled furiously. He and his friends were tied up to each other. They sat in a circle, struggling to break free from the rope. Mallow wasn't trying. She was still hung over the whole Lana situation and refused to speak to anyone.

Lusamine, Faba, Wicke, and Professor Burnet were also tied up, though it was done more poorly. Their laziness made them less of a threat, so the agents didn't bother to tighten the rope.

"You could've joined us, Ash. It's too late now." Looker sneered. "That other Ultra Beast that came with Sun will be ours next." He left the area with Poipole and headed inside to the control center.

Everyone sat there, ones on for a full minute. Being captured was not what they had planned for today. But because of the major disadvantage with Looker and Team Skull's alliance, they were simply outnumbered.

Secretly, Sophocles was hiding something behind his arms. Since only Team Skull were at the deck, it was safe to do things. They weren't the brightest individuals after all. The International Force were inside, doing their thing.

Ash noticed then and called him out on it. "Psst. Sophocles, what are you doing?" Ash whispered.

Sophocles grunted, "I'm trying to free myself. I always bring my screwdrivers with me but it's harder to cut the ropes with." He quickly showed the screwdriver in his hand and continued trying to cut the rope. The problem with that was that he didn't have much power to moves freely, preventing him from cutting harder

"Give me that!" Gladion demanded. Sophocles reluctantly handed over the screwdriver.

After thirty seconds, Gladion managed to cut through the rope with his strength and the tool. He did a quick check on his wrists before going to untie the rest.

"Guess those knot tying classes came in handy after all, mother." Gladion said as he was untying his mother. He knew his way to tie a knot and untie it.

"Hehe. I'm glad." Lusamine giggled tiredly. Once everyone was free, they hid behind a crate of high tech equipment and discussed their next move.

"We got to get the pokémon as a team!" Ash insisted seriously.

"No! I got to go find Lillie! You all can go save the pokémon!" Gladion was more intent on saving his sister than the other pokémon. He was confident enough that his pokémon wouldn't bow down to anyone but him. They were tough enough to handle themselves.

While Ash and Gladion were arguing, Sophocles took out something else from his pocket and waved it around the air.

It was the device that Mina gave him. The one that detects Ultra Beasts in a flash. To prove to himself that it worked, Sophocles pointed inside the control room where the caged Poipole should be. It started to beep frequently, causing Sophocles to yelp and cover it up because of the loud sound it was making.

"What was that?" Ash and Gladion stopped arguing and turned to Sophocles.

Making sure the coast was clear, he spoke. "It's an invention that Mina gave me. It can track down Ultra Beasts. Since that massive beast was an Ultra Beast, I was thinking that I could track it down, but…" Sophocles continued to waved it in the air. There was no sound.

"But?" Kiawe motioned him to go on.

"It isn't picking up anything. I don't think that beast that Sun was with was an Ultra Beast." Sophocles concluded, putting the device away.

"So it's an undiscovered pokémon." Ash guessed.

"Yes…" Professor Burnet yawned. "I haven't seen it in my studies. It's definitely a-" Suddenly, she toppled over along with the rest of the adults.

"Mother!" Gladion rushed over to Lusamine. Lusamine groaned and put a hand over her forehead.

"W-what just happened? It feels like my brain is on fire." Lusamine was missing the sleepiness in her voice. That meant-

"Miss President!" Wicke got up and assisted Lusamine too. "You're the only one not okay because you're the one who stays up all night to work!" She berated her superior.

"Hey! We're back!" Faba exclaimed with relief.

"Yes." Professor Burnet nodded. "It appears that the Ultra Aura must be coming back. We adults regained our motivation again." She used her research in her explanation. If the Ultra Wormhole wasn't sucking up the Ultra Aura, then it must have been patched up. The only way that was possible is if Necrozma got away.

Just then, the sound of horns blaring loudly filled their ears. The Ultra Guardians and adults panicked, believing that they were caught escaping.

That wasn't the case.

"INCOMING TARGETS!" Looker's voice boomed through the speakers. "MAN YOUR STATIONS!"

"Targets?" The nine searched for the so call 'targets.'

"Mwahaha!!! This is for Sunny, you jerks!" Ash immediately recognized the voice as Moon's. Looking forward, he spotted her riding on what appeared to be Lana's Lapras. Lana and her Dratini weren't present.

"For Sun!!!" Another voice declared. It was none other than Hau. He was on his Noivern with a determined smile on his face.

"We're saved!" Faba cheered, only to be slapped on the back of the head by Wicke.

"That time I did feel like it." Wicke huffed while Faba cried slightly at her response.

"Seize the ship fellas!" Moon was flying right above the ship and tossed five of her poké balls down below. Blastoise, Hypno, Slowking, Jinx, and Mr. Mime landed on the ship.

"Help her out!" Hau followed her lead and threw five of his poké balls as well. His Alolan Raichu, Flareon, Abominable, and Tauros joined Moon's pokémon. Primarina landed in the ocean, using her swimming abilities to the fullest.

"There's Dratini!" Sophocles pointed to the flying Dratini that was near Hau. Lana still wasn't there, although Moon's Alakazam was.

"Time to wreck havoc! Psybeam everything in sight except for them!" Moon ordered him, not including the Ultra Guardians and the Aether Foundation as targets.

Thanks to the height advantage, Alakazam had a clear view of everything on the ship. He combined his spoons together and fired off numerous shots of Psybeam. The Internet Force and Team Skull were caught off guard by the surprise attack and ducked for cover.

Hau and Noivern boarded the ship and went over to the others.

"Hau! Thanks for the save!" Ash smiled broadly.

"Yes. Your timing was quite excellent." Gladion added in, exchanging nods with Hau. "I don't expect less from a close friend of Sun's. You're strong on your own too."

"Hehe…" Hau chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

Mallow focused her attention on Hau. "Where's Lana?!" She asked urgently. Everyone but Lana was here, which struck worry to the green haired girl.

Hau's smile disappeared and was replaced with a scowl. "She's at home. She told us what happened and didn't want to come along. That was cold, even for you." He spat, holding a grudge on her. It started ever since she was one of the main causes of Sun leaving.

Mallow hugged her body, feeling more guilty by the second.

Gladion's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you alright, Hau?" Hau was a close friend of Lillie's. Obviously, Gladion knew him from that. Lillie would ring him and tell stories about how cheerful Hau is on a daily basis and that she had never seen him upset in any way. He experienced this first hand when Lillie begged him to tag along with her, Sun, and Hau one time.

Honestly, it annoyed Gladion. Hau's joyful behavior was the complete opposite of Gladion's more brooding one. Going back to the present, this wasn't the same Hau as before. That part he was slightly glad about. Though, he had gotten used to his happy demeanor and wondered what had gotten him so down in the gutter.

"Yeah." Hau replied hesitantly. "We don't have much time! We have to go get your pokémon back before those guys go on the offense. Follow me!" Hau and his pokémon led the Ultra Guardians inside while the adults stayed to watch Moon's pokémon at work. Noivern and Primarina stayed behind to assist Moon.

"Get 'em, Mr. Mime!" Moon hollered from the ocean. Mr. Mime got into position and stretched his hands out forward. He grasped the air, pretending to be holding a rope and pulling it closer to him.

"Ah! What's happening!" One of the Team Skull grunts began to go forward along with the imaginary rope. Soon, more grunts were suffering the same fate.

Wicke placed a hand over her lips. "Such amazing mime work!"

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" With Mr. Mime's assistance, Blastoise was in range and fired a heavy array of water to the group of Team Skull grunts. They were sent backwards and were flung over the railing of the ship. Fortunately, everyone knew how to swim.

"It's your turn, Slowking! Knock 'em down with Confusion! Help him out with that, Hypno!" Moon instructed.

Slowking pointed to a group of frightened Team Skull members and his eyes glowed light blue. Their eyes were stuck in a trance and they started to hit each other.

Hypno swayed her pendulum left and right at a pair of agents. The agents fell for the confusion and fainted.

"Now Jinx, make sure not to put too much pressure on yourself with Perish Song!" Jinx smiled and sang loud and proud like an opera singer. The people around her howled in pain and collapsed on the ground. After she was done, Jinx fell to her knees. Mr. Mime lended her a hand and picked her back up.

"This ship is ours!!!" Moon cackled wildly as Alakazam continued to destroy part of the ship with Psybeam.

"That girl is something…" Professor Burnet sweatdropped. She showed no mercy to anyone, which frightened the professor.

"A psychic pokémon trainer at her finest." Wicke was impressed with Moon's skills with her psychic team, not including Blastoise. Blastoise was doing terrific too, using his size to demolish his enemies.

"She is the female Sun after all." Lusamine joked, but was met with several blank stares. "Bakas. You guys don't understand."

Meanwhile, Hau and the Ultra Guardians were running to the control center. They passed many people of the International Force who were evacuating the ship. The ship was sinking due to Alakazam. Not getting Ultra Beasts was a way better option than drowning. Only Looker was the one who wanted to destroy them.

"Moon's taking the entire ship down! Anyone know the way there, quick!?" Hau questioned them

Sophocles pulled out the Ultra Beast tracker. "Poipole should be with the other pokémon!" He found the direction where Poipole was with the beeping. "Follow me!" Sophocles took the lead. Even though he wasn't much of an active person, he'd rather be exhausted if it meant saving the pokémon.

"In there!" Sophocles gestured over to the incoming door to the right.

"I got it!" Gladion ran faster than the others and rammed his shoulder into the door. The door busted wide open and they rushed in, only to be stopped by a group of agents acting like a barricade.

"No one move." Looker had a device in his hands that no one recognized. He was holding Poipole and had the device near its head. "This is a mind erasing device. One step and I'll make UB Adhesive forget every single one of you!"

Poipole burst into tears. It didn't want to forget anyone, especially Ash and Pikachu.

Ash glared at the man. "Give us back our pokémon!" Over to the right, Ash could see the pokémon in cages. They were crying out for help once they saw their trainers.

"I'll do you one better. You, boy!" He set his eyes on Hau. "I see those pokémon behind you! Hand them over and we'll consider being more lenient on you brats!" Flareon, Abominable, Raichu, and Tauros tensed after they were called out.

Hau was about to decline until he saw something over Looker's shoulder. "I give."

"What!?!?" The Ultra Guardians cried out in shock. Hau's pokémon gasped while Looker smirked.

"Smart boy."

Hau leaned closer to his pokémon and whispered something. The pokémon understood and walked over to Looker without protest.

"Why would you do that!?" Ash demanded irritatedly.

"Just wait." Hau said calmly. "Say, old dude. Do you know how to swim?"

Looker narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Of course I do. Why ask a random question like that?"

"No reason." Hau whistled innocently. "You guys might want to hang on to something." He quietly advised the Ultra Guardians.

Receiving a reassuring nod from Hau, they did as they were told and hanged on to the edges of the door.

"Now!!" Hau raised up his fist. An exclamation mark appeared above Looker's head at the sudden outburst. He didn't have any time to think as the walls from behind him broke. The loud noise caused him to drop the device in the midst of things.

"It's Primarina!" Primarina barged through the wall. The ship tilted to the right, sending Looker and his squad out of the open wall and to the ocean.

Hau's Abominable used his brute strength to tear open the cage bars. The pokémon were set free and ran over to their relieved trainers.

"No time to celebrate!" Hau bolted to his Primarina. "This ship is going down any second! Run!" He boarded his Primarina and they both hopped out the open wall and into the ocean.

"Go, go, go!" Now that the ride pokémon were free, the Ultra Guardians recalled back the pokémon that wouldn't have enough room and flew out of the ship one by one thanks to the one wall.

"Poipole! You're okay!" Ash took the time to hug Poipole during the ride. Poipole squealed happily and returned the hug. It then showed Pikachu more affection with a bone crushing hug.

"I didn't lose another friend." Mallow embraced Tsareena softly. Tsareena was there to support Mallow during her time of need.

"This was all because of the power of science! The future is definitely now!" Sophocles grinned and petted his Togedemaru and Charjabug.

"The power of Wela protected you!!!" Kiawe roared with Marowak joining him.

Gladion looked at his three poké balls and cracked a small smile. He then gazed over to Ash and Poipole. More specifically Poipole. "Don't tell me… is that an Ultra Beast?"

Ash's eyes twinkled. "Yeah. It's called Poipole! Isn't it cute?" Poipole closed its eyes and smiled, loving the compliment from Ash.

Gladion frowned. A bead of sweat was shown on his head. Nevertheless, the Ultra Guardian made it out in time to see the ship sinking further down into the ocean until it was no longer seen.

"Woohoo!" Moon's eyes sparkled with joy. "That's what you meanies get for hunting down Sunny!" Her pokémon were back in their poké ball except for Alakazam. Alakazam was with Moon on Lapras. He clinked his spoons together, celebrating the victory.

"A scary one indeed." Faba shuddered. Faba and Wicke were with Dratini while Lusamine and Professor Burnet were on Hau's Noivern.

The Ultra Guardians and Hau were now reunited with the rest. Hau was the first one to talk.

"I went to Lana's house since I knew that's where she and Moon were. They briefed me about what's been happening and Lana told us that you all were on Poni Island with those baddies." He explained casually. "She also said that Sun was near the area, which is the only reason why saw why I came." The seriousness in his voice made his words sound like he meant it.

"I kinda owed Lana one. That's my reason." Moon chimed in, appearing more reserved this time around.

"Okay. Harsh." Ash winced. They were basically saying that they didn't help out of the kindness of their heart. "And about Sun, erm… how do I put this?"

"He's somewhere." Sophocles was at a loss too. "Lillie went to go after him. We haven't seen either of them since."

"Ah! Lillie!" Gladion's voice was filled with worry. "I got too caught up in the moment. We got to go find her!" He didn't wait for anyone to speak up. The blonde haired boy was off with his own Noivern.

"Hold up!" The ten managed to catch up with Gladion and were flying alongside him. They were searching for clues on the whereabouts of Lillie and Sun.

Over yonder, Kiawe spotted a trail of smoke that reached up behind a mountain. "Over there!" The group followed the smoke and flew over the mountain. They found the trace of the source.

"A crashed helicopter! Someone could be hurt!" Ash exclaimed worriedly. He was met with a hot to the back of his head by none other than Pikachu. "Ow! Pikachu! Why would you-" Pikachu literally forced him to turn his head the other way to get the bigger picture.

"Oh." Ash looked at the injured Lunala laying beside the crashed helicopter. "Oh! Lunala!!" He seemed to have come back to his senses.

Gladion facepalmed. "To think I consider him my worthy rival." Gladion's hot fueled rivalry with Sun was long gone by now. It didn't get a proper finish as their future championship battle would've been the last stop. Two years later it still hasn't happened so Gladion found a rival in Ash to keep his momentum going. A choice he was starting to fully think about.

"We got to help them both!" The group landed on the beachfront and separated into two teams. One went to Lunala and the other to the crashed vehicle.

"Wow! So cool!" Moon gushed over Lunala. She oddly found some connection with it. A lunar connection.

"Moon meets the moone pokémon?" Sophocles got a chuckle out of that.

Gladion examined its fallen body. "It's badly hurt. That thing that was with Sun must have caught up to it." He looked at the night sky. "Question is, where did they go? Wherever they are, Lillie has to be there too."

Hau narrowed his eyes at the name but kept his composure considering that it was Gladion that he'd be angering. "This Lunala, it wouldn't have been left like this without a reason. That beast that was chasing it must have found some other interest."

"Did that big pokémon do that too?" Ash inquired, referring to the crashed helicopter.

"It's anyone's guess I suppose." Sophocles shrugged, focusing back on Lunala. A period of silence dwelled upon them as they stared at the fallen Lunala.

It was then that Ash noticed that Mallow was sticking close to his side. He figured that she needed to person to talk with. Their eyes met, brown meeting green. The sadness was evident in her eyes. Mallow slowly shook her head. Ash took the hint and decided to talk to her once this was all over.

"Ultra Guardians!" Lusamine, Faba, Wicke, and Professor Burnet approached the six.

"We checked every inch of the ship. There were signs that there were people in it. However, we couldn't find a single person in there." Lusamine informed them.

"So they got out safe?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Aether Foundation President. "That's good."

"You may want to reconsider that." Faba said, pulling out his device. "We've verified the data of the crashed aircraft. They're from an organization that operates from Kanto…" He flipped over his device, showing the screen that had a red 'R' on it. "Team Rocket!"

Ash gasped, "Them again!"

Faba further explained the topic in hand. "They are an elite force that goes by the name, Matori Matrix." The screen now showed pictures of the people in the aircraft.

"Heyyy…" Moon inspected the screen intently. "I remember that woman." She pointed a finger to the top left of the screen that had a purple haired woman with glasses. "It's Matori."

"You know her?" Faba questioned.

"Sure do. Sunny and I met met her in Kanto. We thought she was a nice lady who ran a clothing line. One day, I found out that she worked with Team Rocket when she was calling someone about something big that happened in Kalos a while back." Ash laughed nervously at that. "Sunny wanted us out of the town fast. I haven't seen her since." Moon answered honestly.

While everyone was discussing, Ash noticed that Gladion wasn't with them. He was crouched over beside Lunala. It seemed like he had something in his hand.

"What's up, Gladion? You find something?" Ash turned even more perplexed when Gladion was shaking. It wasn't out of fear, but out of anger.

"This… this is Snowy's." He revealed what was in his hand. It was a light blue bow. "Lillie was here."

"She didn't stop to help Lunala? That's strange." Ash said. He backed up when Gladion stood up abruptly.

"She's still following those monsters! She can't do this on her own! We got to go find her! Lillie can't be far!" Hau and Moon lightly glared at Gladion for calling Sun a monster. They looked at each other and nodded, silently forming a pact.

"I'm afraid I got some more bad news." Professor Burnet gulped. "I discovered this since we got our motivation back. We dubbed it as UB: Black-"

"Necrozma." Mallow corrected her quietly.

"Pardon?"

"Necrozma. Sun named it that." She didn't dare to meet any of their eyes.

"I believe that it is a fitting name." Lusamine added in, covering for Mallow.

Professor Burnet blinked. "Yes. I suppose it is." She deleted its name and replaced it with the new one. "Anyway, the reason why we were all lazy was because the Ultra Aura was diminishing. A tiny Ultra Wormholes was the cause. The tiny wormhole eventually grew when Lunala and… Necrozma came out. I could only imagine that Necrozma wanted to absorb Lunala's aura. There was something else here."

The professor gestured over the footprints on the sand. "It took the hit for Lunala. Necrozma absorbed its aura so it should have been an Ultra Beast of some kind. Absorbing the Ultra Aura could be the reason why we're back but it's just a theory."

"And the bad news is…?" Gladion urged her to go on.

"Because it got what it needed, Necrozma has no business being here, so it went back to its home. That home being in the Ultra Wormhole. And since Lillie was following Sun and Necrozma and she's nowhere to be found…" Professor Burnet trailed off, hoping that Gladion got the message.

He did.

"Lillie! No! She wouldn't!" Gladion didn't want to believe a word that she was saying.

"Yes." To Gladion's shock, Lusamine agreed with the professor. "That sounds like the logical reason behind Lillie's disappearance. She followed Sun and Necrozma into the wormhole."

"No! No!" Gladion covered his ears with his hands to block out the noise. "It's not safe in there! And she's all alone!"

"Then we should go and save her!" Ash suggested, taking Gladion's worries into account.

"And Sunny, you inconsiderate jerk!" Moon slapped Ash's hat from his head.

"Unfortunately, we can't." Lusamine sighed. "Lunala needs proper treatment and fast. Plus, we don't what's in store for us. We need a plan."

"We should also consider Team Rocket as well. They might have plans with these beasts judging by how they were apparently in the scuffle too." Faba put in his input.

"B-but…" The Ultra Guardians were having a tough time accepting the decision. Gladion was in his own world, denying everything being said.

"Listen to me. Lillie will be fine. I have no doubt that she can handle herself. She has strong pokémon that will protect her." Lusamine reassured them. "We'll be fast. As soon as we're done, you all will be the first to know. We can open up a wormhole and go save her… and Sun." She nearly avoided the incoming jab coming from Moon.

"I-I guess that sounds reasonable. It doesn't mean I like it though." Ash expressed his concerns. Leaving a friend alone with quite possibly the most powerful being in Alola was enough to make him hesitant. Lusamine did bring up a good point. That being that she had Sun's pokémon with her. That'd be enough to buy them some time before they can be able to go save her.

"I'll call for an emergency transport so we can take Lunala back to the base at the Pokémon School. It's the closest from here." Lusamine grabbed the device from Professor Burnet's hands and began to make a call.

"No! She has to be here! I'm not giving up until I find her!" Gladion stormed off. His Noivern followed him cautiously.

"So much for teamwork." Kiawe shook his head.

"That reminds me." Lusamine finished her call and turned to Moon and Hau. "You two have proven yourselves as reliable, capable trainers. You two saved us from what could've been disaster. For that, I offer you spots in the team." She offered them kindly.

"Such honor!" Wicke fanned herself.

"Offered to those worthy!" Professor Burnet said.

"It would be foolish not to accept it!" Faba advised them.

The Ultra Guardians watched as they made their choice.

Moon's face scrunched up with disgust. "Ew! As if!" The adults face planted on the ground. "Why would I want to join a team full of backstabbers? Honestly! I'd only join if Sun were in it which I doubt he'd be in after this mess! You can take that offer and shove it up your-"

"Alright, Moon! We get it." Hau calmed down the fuming Moon. "But I'm in the same boat as Moon. I just wouldn't have phrased it like that. I don't think this team can manage as a whole. Sorry." He smiled apologetically.

Mallow and Kiawe looked off to the side as they gave their reasons. Ash and Sophocles were bummed out but understood what they meant.

Lusamine frowned. She wasn't expecting them to decline. "But we-"

"Shut it, hag!" Moon growled. "Sunny doesn't trust you so I don't either!" She revealed brutally.

"Sun… doesn't trust me?" Lusamine couldn't comprehend those words in her head. She always thought that she and Sun had a good relationship. She knew the boy for four years, ever since he was seven. It pained her that it may have been fake after all.

"Hmph! You guys don't get a pass either. Don't think that I forgot about what happened at the Pokémon Paradise Resort! The nerve of some people!"

"Whoops." Kiawe flinched, remembering that that was his fault.

"I'm going to go with the brooding boy. Maybe I can find some more clues about Sunny's whereabouts." With that, Moon stomped off to the direction that Gladion went with Alakazam by her side.

"Hehe. Sorry about that." Hau sweatdropped nervously. "I'll go with them. Someone has to keep an eye on those two." Hau bid them farewell and went off with his own Noivern.

"We can't force them. We just have to change their opinion of us. Chin up, Miss President. Emerging transportation will be here soon for Lunala." Wicke patted Lusamine's back and then went to go have a closer look of Lunala herself.

Lusamine didn't take the revelation too well. She hid her face with her hands.

'Sun… after everything that I've done for you… you don't trust me? And here I thought I was like a second mother to you.'

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

Lana was at home. She felt terrible about abandoning her friends but felt like it was the right choice. Moon and Hau were far better trainers than her. They'd be greater aid for the team.

She lingered around the outside of Moon's room. Lana thought back to their earlier talk. She still couldn't believe that Moon confessed about her past to her. They weren't on friendly terms but after today, Lana was sure that it'd be different between them.

During the whole exchange, Lana was mildly relieved that Moon didn't bring out the jealous side of her. Especially when she brought up her crush on Sun.

Lana's face tinged red. Even thinking about it made her embarrassed. With a deep breath, Lana entered the guest room.

Lana came right back out as quickly as she came in with a certain painting in her arms. She made a beeline to her room and quietly closed it shut.

 **xxxxx**

 ** _Second Author's Note: So yeah, next chapter is Lillie. The newest Sun and Moon episode is going to be in my story since it has Acerola in it. She has a role in the future, which is why she was mentioned in the previous chapters. Not much else to say so stay tuned!_**


	24. Necrozma Strikes!

_**Author's Note: This update took quite a while for me to type. I'm not good with battle scenes, I was stuck on it for like two weeks. Most of that was procrastination though. Nevertheless, this turned out to be one of my favorite chapters. I couldn't think of a good title so there's that. The arc will conclude next chapter, that I'm fairly certain on. I'm highly considering bumping up the ages because of the way I perceive certain characters. It's hard to imagine that they're only ten. If it does, then the rating will change to T so I can get away with some serious topics in later chapters, mostly with Sun. Plus, having a relationship at ten is kinda weird, so yeah. As always, second Author's Note at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

x **xxxx**

Lillie and Dusk Mane Necrozma were having an intense stare down. Each one daring for the other to make the first move.

It was Dusk Mane Necrozma who decided to take the lead.

It roared and stomped its front feet to the ground. A mini shockwave was made, pushing everyone back.

The Ultra Beasts striked next. Xurkitree planted its cord-like feet to the ground. It fired off bolts of electricity at Dusk Mane Necrozma. The prism pokémon brushed it off, not feeling the effects of the attack at all.

Stakataka opened up its top and chucked several rocks towards Dusk Mane Necrozma. Like before, it took in the attack without any damage. It only seemed to make it madder.

Blacephalon took a crack at it. It tossed its head at Dusk Mane Necrozma. Its head blew up in its face. Although, Dusk Mane Necrozma flinched a little as Blacephalon's head came back.

 _'It must be weak against fire!'_ Lillie observed the interaction intently. 'Okay. I know what I want to do!'

"Pyroar, heat things up with Overheat!" Lillie chose to start out with Pyroar because he was the only because she knew that had fire based moves other than Blacephalon.

Marshadow watched closely while Pyroar charged up with fire surrounding his body. Its fiery appearance reached its full potential and Pyroar unleashed it to Dusk Mane Necrozma. Lillie's observations were correct. Dusk Mane Necrozma was feeling the damage of the move.

Dusk Mane Necrozma wasn't having any of it. It wassensed Blacephalon and Pyroar as its primary targets. It went after Pyroar first, pouncing on the royal pokémon and landed a powerful Metal Claw right on his muzzle. Pyroar was sent flying but Dusk Mane Necrozma wasn't done yet.

It used Prismatic Laser. The prism on Dusk Mane Necrozma's forehead shot many multi-colored lasers. Each one hit its target, resulting in Pyroar's early elimination.

"Don't worry! You did the best you could!" Lillie quickly returned Pyroar back into his poké ball before Dusk Mane Necrozma could inflict more damage on him. Blacephalon realized its strategy and distanced itself further back.

Seeing this, Dusk Mane Necrozma set its focus on Stakataka. It let out a battle cry and charged at the rampart pokémon with Metal Claw. Stakataka retaliated by encasing its body into a shiny steel gray color. It rammed itself into Dusk Mane Necrozma's Metal Claw. The two attacks clashed, with neither winning the exchange.

Marshadow saw an opportunity and went for it. It started to run up to Stakataka and amazingly jumped high enough to hop on top of it. It jumped again, using Stakataka's height to propel itself higher so that it could reach Dusk Mane Necrozma. Marshadow's left fist gained a yellow aura. It punched Dusk Mane Necrozma straight in between its eye.

Dusk Mane Necrozma's temples burned with fire. It screeched in pain, backing up to regain its composure. Marshadow landed back on the ground with ease, satisfied with its move.

Lillie was impressed with Marshadow's technique but then remembered that there was a battle at hand. "Right! See if you can top that with Spirit Shackle, Decidueye! Froslass, assist Decidueye with Shadow Ball!" She commanded.

The two did as they were told and pulled out their respective attacks. Froslass created a Shadow Ball while Decidueye readied up his shot. They nodded at each other before releasing their moves on the stunned Dusk Mane Necrozma.

Shadow Ball managed to push back Dusk Mane Necrozma even further. Decidueye's Spirit Shackle hit it in the correct spot. This just so happened to be on its prism. The area surrounding the prism lit on fire, causing it to go on a feral rampage.

"Don't give up! Glaceon, carefully go in for Ice Fang!" Aerodactyl decided to go assist Glaceon by offering her a ride on its back. Glaceon accepted it and the two flew up until they were a few feet away from Dusk Mane Necrozma.

Glaceon yipped and chomped her teeth in the air. It made an icy fang fly out of her mouth and crashed into Dusk Mane Necrozma. Aerodactyl used its own move and blasted an orange beam from its mouth to Dusk Mane Necrozma's body. The attacks did their job, but at a cost.

Dusk Mane Necrozma reached its limit. A strong aura bounced from its body and it rebounded back to its feet. Glaceon and Aerodactyl stopped celebrating when it appeared right in front of the. They didn't have any time to react because Dusk Mane Necrozma slashed the air multiple times. It created Psycho Cuts, nailing Glaceon right off of Aerodactyl while Aerodactyl itself began to sink to the ground.

Due to her training, Glaceon was able to shake it off and land back on her feet. Aerodactyl wasn't so lucky. It smashed into the ground hard. Dusk Mane Necrozma dove to the ground and crushed Aerodactyl with its massive size. Needless to say, Aerodactyl wasn't getting back up any time soon.

"Distract Necrozma!" Ninetales and Sandslash quickly ran over to the action, activating Dazzling Gleam and Metal Claw respectively. Sandslash lunged at Dusk Mane Necrozma and landed repeated slashes with his reinforced claw. Ninetales' barrel had a rainbow colored sphere. She leapt as high as she could and pushed herself into Dusk Mane Necrozma. These attacks were enough to knock it back a few feet.

"Stay safe! You did good!" Lillie recalled Aerodactyl back into its poké ball, now that Necrozma wasn't near it. "Come back you guys!" Sandslash and Ninetales returned back with the other pokémon. Electivire grew angry because its pals were defeated by the beast.

Xurkitree saw this and joined Electivire since it was an electric-type too. Xurkitree motioned for the others to stay put. It and Electivire drew in closer to Dusk Mane Necrozma.

"What are they up to?" Lillie asked to herself while she observed their very next form of attack.

Xurkitree began to swing its limbs wildly. A dim red aura was beginning to flare up. The red aura only grew stronger and Xurkitree was now surrounding by it. It hit the ground, showing off its power by making shockwaves.

Electivire rose its arms up. It released several bolts of electricity from its body. The area around the two and Dusk Mane Necrozma turned into a dome of electricity. The ground and air was rippling with electricity. Xurkitree plugged its plugs into the ground, absorbing more and more of the electricity. Its already strong red aura was now accompanied with heavy sparks of electricity flowing through its cable-like limbs.

"Such power!" Lillie was in awe along with the other pokémon. It was astonishing to see a regular pokémon assist and Ultra Beast by making it even stronger than before. The red aura that Xurkitree produced on it's own must've been something only available to Ultra Beasts. She remembered seeing something similar with Blacephalon a while back.

Xurkitree used Discharge, creating even more electricity. The move made Dusk Mane Necrozma shake because of the volts entering in its body. Electivire followed it up with a Thunder Punch smack center on the prism. It howled in pain and attempted to escape. The dome refused for it to be let go, trapping Dusk Mane Necrozma.

 _'The prism must be the weak spot.'_ Lillie concluded. The prism was in its three forms: Base, Dawn Wings, and Dusk Mane.

Electivire and Xurkitree both glanced at each other and put their limbs out forward. Both fired a large spark of electricity at Dusk Mane Necrozma's prism. Dusk Mane Necrozma didn't let this happen. It swiped at the two attacks with its paw with ease. It screeched and started to walk forward.

The two electric-type pokémon continued to fire off Shockwaves but Dusk Mane Necrozma somehow was able to deflect them all. One lucky Shockwave managed to hit its prism, but to their shock it didn't even flinch.

Xurkitree and Electivire tried to escape by getting out of the electric dome. Dusk Mane Necrozma used all of its might and popped out of the electric dome too. It came after the two electric-types and pounced on their bodies. Before either of them had a chance to know what was going on, they were lifted all the way up in the air.

Dusk Mane Necrozma used their fall to its advantage and clawed their bodies with Metal Claw. To add to this, its prism began to shoot numerous multi-colored beams. Electivire didn't make it past that point but Xurkitree was still crawling.

"Help it out, Stakataka!" Lillie returned Electivire and pleaded Stakataka to assist its Ultra Beast buddy. Stakataka did just that and power walked to the beast. Dusk Mane Necrozma stopped focusing on Xurkitree and found a new foe to best.

"You're in no condition to battle anymore! Return!" Lillie recalled Xurkitree back into its Beast Ball. "Vanilluxe! Ninetales! Altaria! Use Ice Beam so Stakataka can get an opening!"

The three Ice Beams followed and hit Dusk Mane Necrozma. Combining the strength of their Ice Beams, Necrozma was slowly turning into ice. Soon, Ninetales, Altaria, and Vanilluxe huffed and puffed while their opponent was successfully turned into a block of ice.

Stakataka quickly retracted its limbs and its cube body hit the ground with a heavy thud. Rocks started to protrude from the ground and surrounded the frozen beast. For a few seconds, there was no response from Dusk Mane Necrozma. There was a chance that it couldn't escape. Being frozen and covered in rocks holding the ice in place was downright nearly impossible for a regular pokémon to escape.

Lillie fell back and looked behind her to check on Sun. He was still unconscious. Altaria had carefully placed him in the seat on its fluffy back. Lillie had a small smile on her face, relieved that he was in safe spot.

A gasped escaped out of her mouth when a large screech filled the area. Dusk Mane Necrozma got free and exploded all of the ocean and rocks. It glared at Stakataka with a murderous expression. Stakataka didn't do anything and remained in its cube form.

"Please get up!" Lillie cried out as Dusk Mane Necrozma charged at Stakataka. It outshined the rampart pokémon in speed easily. It shoved its massive body into Stakataka, but nothing happened. Instead, Dusk Mane Necrozma was sent back several feet because of its momentum.

"Huh?" Lillie was surprised to see Stakataka's body glow white. It was as if it was using a defensive move. Dusk Mane Necrozma pressed its luck again. It jumped high and landed on top of Stakataka. It wanted Stakataka to come out and fight so it hit it repeatedly with Metal Claw.

"It's in for it now," Lillie said, her hopes rising. If there was one thing that Stakataka hated it was having something on top of it. She witnessed this first hand and it led to Mallow sustaining an injury. This may very well turn the tides.

Stakataka's whole body shook. A red aura made its way around its body. It graduated increased each second along with the shaking. It let out a large robotic screech and stood up. Stakataka shockingly was able to do so while Dusk Mane Necrozma was still on top of it.

"It's so strong!" Lillie was impressed with Stakataka's strength. Being able to carry someone as huge as Dusk Mane Necrozma was an amazing feat on own.

Stakataka hurled its body forward, sending Dusk Mane Necrozma away. It went wild. It thrashed all over the area, hitting Necrozma each time it came across it. The red aura seemed to have made Stakataka stronger in some way, but Lillie couldn't figure out what it was.

"It's in its full rampage mode! It's too dangerous to stand near it." Her eyes shifted towards Decidueye. "Decidueye, fly around the two!"

Decidueye flapped his wings and took off to the sky. He hovered around the two, making sure that he wasn't in their path. At some point, Dusk Mane Necrozma managed to dodge one of Stakataka's rams and used Psycho Cut. The attack reached its target but had no effect. Stakataka continued its rampage, not feeling any pain from the Psycho Cut.

Dusk Mane Necrozma went for Prismatic Laser this time. To its frustration, Stakataka was adamant in taking in the attack with no consequences.

Stakataka did something that was unthinkable. It jumped up in the air and started to whirl around in a circular motion. Its form turned into a sphere that was rotating madly. The red aura flared with the movement.

"It knows Gyro Ball!?" Lillie's eyes widened. It flabbergasted her that a creature as big as Stakataka could do such a move. Stakataka striked and slammed its rotating body into Dusk Mane Necrozma. The impact was like a boulder hitting a wall. Lillie reeled back by how loud the collision sounded.

Dusk Mane Necrozma's body was sent back several feet. Its prism was still intact but barely since that was the main target of the Gyro Ball. Dusk Mane Necrozma was lying on its back, temporarily unable to move.

Lillie realized this and capitalized on it. "Now's our chance! Everyone! Attack it!" It was now or never. Sun's pokémon and Blacephalon hurried over to the fallen beast. Marshadow stayed put, observing the outcome closely.

"Decidueye, Grass Knot! Froslass, follow it up with Shadow Ball! And Sandslash, Ice Ball!" Lillie ordered the first set of pokémon

Decidueye's face scrunched up as he magically summoned a Grass Knot from the rocky terrain. It took a lot more effort to make the Grass Knot. The Grass Knot held one of Dusk Mane Necrozma's feet in place.

Froslass came next and she made a small Shadow Ball that grew in the matter of seconds. Taking a page out of the Ultra Beasts book, she aimed it at its prism. The move did more damage than it should've.

Lastly, Sandslash wanted to copy what Froslass did. He constructed an Ice Ball and threw it dead center of Dusk Mane Necrozma's prism. That's when another a shocking event took place.

The prism swiftly coated its colors around Dusk Mane Necrozma's body. Its body now resembled the same multi-colored tone as its prism. The Ice Ball easily cracked upon impact with no noticeable damage.

Dusk Mane Necrozma stood up and unleashed a powerful roar. It fired off its signature Prismatic Laser. Unlike the previous ones, these lasers were even large than before. Froslass, Decidueye, and Sandslash's eyes turned to the size of pinpricks.

"Get away from there!" Lillie's plead came too late. The three pokémon were blasted into the lasers path. Each were knocked back and dazed.

Dusk Mane Necrozma set its sights on Stakataka next. A strong bright yellow, orange, and white aura blared around its body in a blink of an eye. A huge beam the size of itself shot towards Stakataka. Dusk Mane Necrozma started to run inside the beam with its body now shining white. It slammed its massive body onto Stakataka. A large explosion emanated from the impact.

"How!?" Lillie shrieked as Stakataka's large form flew back from the slam. Stakataka's body crashed into the dazed Decidueye, Froslass, and Sandslash. It felt as if a small building crashed into them.

"Oh no…" Lillie fell down to her knees when she saw the results. Froslass and Sandslash sported a set of swirly eyes each. It was hard to tell if Stakataka also had the familiar set of swirly eyes but its unmoving form and the fact that its limbs retracted back into its body told Lillie that it couldn't get back up.

Decidueye was laying on his stomach. His eyes were barely open. He balled up his talons and weakly hit them on the ground, not wanting to be beaten yet. He let out a weak squawk as he crawled towards his fallen comrades.

Glaceon and Vanilluxe began to freak out and ran around in circles. Their strongest allies were taken down. They knew that they weren't the strongest in the team. That title belonged to Decidueye and Froslass. Now they were one of the last remaining pokémon. Naturally, Glaceon and Vanilluxe's confidence was decreasing.

Ninetales stopped them by slapping their faces with her paw, reminding the duo that she was still there. Blacephalon sweatdropped at their panicky behavior. Marshadow continued to stand there, staring down Dusk Mane Necrozma.

Lillie held the four poké balls with shaky hands. "S-stakataka, Froslass, Sandslash, you g-guys can't go on." She returned the three back into their poké balls and then looked at the helpless Decidueye. The ace in the team couldn't even stand up. Lillie's one hope of turning the battle around was down. She stared at Decidueye's poké ball and then at the struggling pokémon himself.

If he were to be recalled back then her chances were going to slim down dramatically.

Lillie didn't have any time to think. Dusk Mane Necrozma zeroed in on Altaria, Snowy and the unconscious Sun next. Altaria and Snowy were trembling out of fear of the massive beast.

Having Sun and Snowy on top of it, Altaria snapped out of its trance and tried to fly away. Dusk Mane Necrozma wasn't going to let this happen so it used Psycho Cut to stop it. It did the trick. Psycho Cut hit one of Altaria's wings, causing it to fall downwards and take a nasty bump.

Snowy and Sun were thrown off of Altaria's back and landed on the ground hard. Sun couldn't feel the pain due to his unconscious state. Snowy on the other hand, whimpered softly after she fell on her right paw painfully.

Dusk Mane Necrozma sensed their weakness, though Blacephalon and Ninetales made their way in front of it. They challenged it so it could by Altaria, Sun and Snowy more time to escape.

"Stop running around and go help them!" Lillie yelled at Glaceon and Vanilluxe angrily. Her anger was rising as their chances of winning were falling. She wasn't going to lose no matter what. There'll be no sympathy to those that are slacking off.

Glaceon and Vanilluxe gulped and reluctantly got into the fray.

"Ninetales, get closer to me while the others keep it busy!" Lillie demanded. She had the Icium Z in her hand and presented it to Ninetales. Her original plan was for Decidueye to assist her with the Decidium Z but that obvious wasn't going to happen now. Ninetales was next in line power wise.

Ninetales was ticked off by Lillie's tone and refused to comply. This only made Lillie more agitated.

"Hurry up you dumb fox! Don't you want to save Sun and your friends!? Then come here and do the z-move with me!" Stress was setting its course. Something that Lillie was all too familiar with. Thinking about their potential loss was nerve wracking to Lillie. Everyone could be hurt and it would be her fault because she agreed to fight Dusk Mane Necrozma in the first place.

"Now I see why Sun kept you in your poké ball for so long." Ninetales glared at Lillie with immense hatred. "Vanilluxe! You get over here instead!" She gritted her teeth when Vanilluxe shared a similar expression like Ninetales. "Glaceon!" Glaceon barked angrily at Lillie.

Lillie stomped her foot to the ground, frustrated tears spilling out of her eyes. "Even after everything, you guys still don't want to listen to me! Do you all really hate me that much!? I'm doing all of this for Sun! I-I… I'm just trying to help. I care a lot about him… and he can be gone for good..."

The three pokémon shared sympathetic looks until a round of explosives came from their left. Blacephalon was fighting Dusk Mane Necrozma on its own, reminding them of the fight.

Before they could help it, Dusk Mane Necrozma attacked Blacephalon incoming head with Metal Claw. The head exploded, forcing Blacephalon to use its last head. It put its back up head on and motioned for everyone to run.

"No! We have to continue to fight!" Lillie protested. Blacephalon shook its head. Lillie felt something hit the back of her leg, making her cry out in pain. It was none other than Marshadow, who's face remained emotionless. It shook its head too. "B-but… we still have a fighting chance! We have you, Blacephalon, Ninetales, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe! Please, we can't give up yet!"

Lillie felt ashamed. She promised Marshadow that they'd be able to win this. With the number of strong pokémon they had, she was confident that they would beat Dusk Mane Necrozma. She was responsible if anything happened to the pokémon. It was her own fault for thinking that she could take on something as powerful as Necrozma. Now everyone was doomed because of her.

Suddenly, Blacephalon pulled off one final trick to ensure that Dusk Mane Necrozma would be down temporarily. It juggled its head before tossing it. The head curved in circles so Dusk Mane Necrozma couldn't hit it. Its head spun around, shining many different colored and then made a huge colorful explosion.

Dusk Mane Necrozma screeched and fell on its side. Meanwhile, Blacephalon collapsed on the ground, not showing any signs of movement. It had sacrificed itself so everyone else could escape.

"Blacephalon…" Lillie had a burst of emotions surge inside her body because of Blacephalon's actions. She noticed that Marshadow was running towards Altaria, Snowy, and Sun. Glaceon and Vanilluxe were in tow. Lillie realized what was going on.

"Wait, guys!" The pokémon were escaped. This was the complete opposite of what Lillie wanted to do. The pokémon ignored her cry and made a beeline out of there. Altaria lingered behind and beckoned Lillie to come join them. Lillie was about to protest some more until Altaria turned around to show her Sun and the terrified Snowy on its back.

"I-I…" Seeing that state of Sun and Snowy helped click something in her head.

There was no way she was going to win this battle. Not in a long shot. She should've handled this with the entire team instead of tackling it on her own. The results were enough to tell her how badly she messed up. Even Sun needed help every now and then. No person can go without help.

Her drive to save Sun ultimately cost her in the end. Lillie was too absorbed in it, which led her to unsuccessfully lead the pokémon and Ultra Beast team. The least she could do was accept her mistakes and try to fix it.

That came in the form of escaping from Dusk Mane Necrozma. She had to wait it out until the Ultra Guardians arrived. Knowing Gladion, he'd do anything in his power to go save her. The question was, how long could she wait it out until Dusk Mane Necrozma could get to her?

"Wait up!" Lillie returned Blacephalon back into its poké ball and hurried over to Decidueye. She picked him up and carried him with her as she caught up to her Altaria.

Lillie hopped on the seat of her ride pokémon. She quickly realized that there wouldn't be enough room for all of them.

Ninetales scoffed and trotted back to them. She lowered her back and offered to take Snowy. Snowy happily agreed and made herself comfortable on Ninetales' back.

Lillie grabbed Decidueye poké ball. Decidueye saw this and refused to go back in. He wanted to continue fighting, disappointed of his performance.

"Please Decidueye, do it for Sun." Decidueye finally gave in and allowed Lillie to send him inside his poké ball. Lillie safely tucked all twelve poké balls in her possession. She then brought Sun's limp body over and rested him on her lap.

Lillie brushed her fingers across his messy hair and examined his resting face. A small smile graced her lips as she remembered that at least one good thing came out of the exchange.

She finally had the real Sun back with her.

"Follow them!" Lillie instructed her Altaria. Altaria ascended up in the air and followed Marshadow, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe with Ninetales and Snowy. She hugged Sun tightly when she heard Dusk Mane Necrozma's loud screech, indicating that it had recovered. Altaria was slower than usual due to the Psycho Cut that hit its wing earlier.

The damage was taking its toll and Altaria felt itself start to lose altitude because of it. It was swerving all over the place. Lillie had a tough time trying to regain control of Altaria.

"Guys! We can't go on!" Lillie cried out to the others. Altaria began to plummet downwards, unable to keep itself going anymore. Lillie screamed while they were on the verge of crashing.

Marshadow, Snowy, Ninetales, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe were too late to react and couldn't reach there in time to save them.

Altaria fell in one of the many gaps found in the area. Going in the gap, it was deeper than Lillie thought. She clung onto Sun's body as they neared the bottom.

For a split second, Lillie sweared that she saw a Poipole looking at them.

Lillie didn't have time to register it in her head. They crashed to the ground with a resounding thud. Lillie could feel her vision start to go dark.

All the while with her arms still wrapped protectively around Sun's midsection.

 **Flashback**

Lillie's mind went back to a bitter memory. One that affected her life for a long time. Unlike her previous dream, this one was more heart wrenching.

It was morning time in Alola. The sun was shining, the Pikipek were chirping. Kids were laughing. Everything made it clear that it was going to be another good day in the warm region of Alola.

Or was it?

Lillie was making her way to the Pokémon School. Even though today was supposed to feel like a good day, something felt off. She couldn't shake off the mysterious feeling in her head that was alarming her to go back home. Lillie ignored it, favoring going to school to see her friends.

It was probably nothing.

She ran into Mallow along the way. It looked like she was waiting for Lillie to show up in the path.

"Alola, Lillie! How are you this morning?" Mallow greeted her. She had her recently new pokémon, Bounsweet in her arms. She had gotten her a few weeks ago and was having a blast with her.

"I'm doing great! Hello to you too, Bounsweet." Lillie patted her on the head, eliciting a small giggle from Bounsweet. It was heartwarming for Lillie to have regained her ability to touch pokémon again.

All that was left was for Lillie to get her first pokémon. Sophocles had Togedemaru, Lana had Popplio, and Kiawe had both Marowak and Turtonator.

The idea had been in Lillie's mind for quite some time. Sun had constantly been throwing hints in her direction about how fun it was having a partner by his side. She saw many pokémon during her voyage with Sun on his Island Challenge.

Though, Sun's new attitude had put a roadblock into that idea. It was planned for Sun to go help Lillie pick out her first pokémon. However, Sun was growing distant around her. Anytime that she got close to him, he'd do something rude and run away.

Three days ago had been the climax of his heated behavior. He yelled at her to leave him alone, which led to Lillie having a sleepless night that day.

Lillie already had a plan in the works to confront Sun about this. Mallow had managed to convince her that Sun had changed. It was hard to take it in. She still hadn't fully wanted to believe it. A small part of her knew that Sun was an understanding person and hear her out. Out of everyone in the class, he was around her the most since they returned to Melemele Island.

He wasn't in school yesterday. It made her worry but she reluctantly brushed it off as him being busy with something else.

 _'When I'm through with Sun, he'll be back to his usual self! Then we can work on how he'll fix the trouble that he's caused. He'll apologize to everyone for his rudeness. I'll even make him apologize to me by taking me to Vanilluxe's Icy Treats!'_ Lillie thought, sporting a wide smile on her face.

Mallow noticed this and couldn't help but smile herself at Lillie's cheery behavior. "What's got you so happy? Mornings are usually when everyone's a bit tired. I even caught Professor Kukui almost falling asleep while we were doing an assignment!" The two shared a laugh at that.

"No. I was just thinking about how I can set Sun straight and get him to stop hanging out with those awful Team Skull people."

Mallow's smile disappeared as soon as she said that. "Lillie. I thought we talked about this two days ago. He doesn't care about us anymore. He's got his new Team Skull buddies to hang out with. You have to learn to accept it." She said wistfully.

Lillie shook her head. "I may have let you convince me of his bad actions that day, but I just know that I can have a full on conversation with Sun today! He's my best friend and I can get him to listen to me! That's what best friends do. They hear each other out, forgive each other, and go back to having fun!" She explained to Mallow with passion.

Mallow narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the words, _'best friends.'_ She unconsciously clenched her fists togethers. "He won't reason with any of us. Not even me! His oldest friend! What makes you think that he'd listen to you?"

Lillie ignored the tone in Mallow's voice. "We grew closer during our trip. I feel like I fully understand Sun, and that he feels the same way! We promised each other that we'd always be friends no matter what! This is just an obstacle in our friends and we can overcome it together!" A sparkle of determination ran through Lillie's eyes as she talked.

Mallow grew more irritated while Lillie talked. Her brows furrowed as Lillie continued to talk more about her and Sun's friendship. It was like that the whole way to the Pokémon School.

"Ugh! Just shut up already!" Mallow reached her breaking point. "Sun isn't going to play nice! He's a dirty Team Skull grunt! Honestly!" She threw her arms in the air in an act of frustration.

Lillie lowered her head, hurt by Mallow's words. The rest of the walk was silent between them.

When they arrived at the Pokémon School, Mallow rushed inside to get away from Lillie.

Lillie entered the building to see Mallow already going up the flight of stairs.

"Does she really hate us that much?" Lillie said to herself. She sighed and slowly walked up the stairs. She reached the top floor and took her time going down the hall.

It was then that she noticed Mallow standing outside the doorway. She was looking at something inside the classroom. By the look on her face, it wasn't good.

Lillie stood beside her and carefully peeked her head in the classroom. Sophocles was there talking to Professor Kukui about something. His face appeared as if he was about to break down. Professor Kukui tilted his head down so the top portion of his cap covered his face.

"What's going on?" Lillie asked Mallow.

Mallow hesitated, "I-I don't know. I just got here," She admitted.

Sophocles stepped to the side so Professor Kukui could move. He went over to Sun's desk and lifted it up. The professor carried the desk and stored it away in a nearby closet.

Lillie barged in the classroom and blocked Professor Kukui's way. She grabbed the desk away from him.

"W-what are you doing with Sun's desk? Its supposed to go here." The two had a tug-of-war with the desk. Lillie won in the end and placed the desk next to hers.

Sophocles and Professor Kukui shared nervous glances with each other.

Just then, the rest of the class arrived and were wondering what was going on.

"Is there something the matter, Professor Kukui?" Kiawe questioned,sitting down in his own seat.

"Something seems to be bothering you two," Lana added in, referring to Professor Kukui and Sophocles' saddened faces.

"Why were you moving Sun's desk?" Mallow asked, grimacing at having to say Sun's name. "Did he finally move in with his Team Skull buddies?" Kiawe firmly nodded his head, agreeing with her statement. Lana pretended not to hear anything and chose to mind her own business.

"Sun wouldn't move! Melemele Island is his home! Besides, there was a news story yesterday evening that the Team Skull boss, Jenercocio has been arrested. Team Skull has to have been disbanded after that!" Lillie shot down Mallow's claim in a heartbeat.

Professor Kukui awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and looked away. Lillie saw this and instantly began to worry.

"He didn't… no! He wouldn't!" Lillie felt her heart almost stop when Professor Kukui shook his head.

"I'm afraid so. Sophocles here just informed me of the news. It seems that Sun has quietly returned back to Kanto with his mother. I guess Alola has been too hard for him these past couple of days. The Final Trial has already been canceled too. Here's hoping that Hau can finish what he started."

The class went dead silent. Everyone was stunned by what they just heard. They looked at Sophocles, who nodded his head in confirmation. None looked more devastated by the news than Mallow and Lillie.

"H-he's gone?" Mallow spoke softly. She hid her emotions well, though she refused to talk to anyone after that.

"Just like that?" Kiawe felt somewhat guilty about the ordeal. They had treated Sun like dirt for his final days of Alola. Now that he's gone, their, along with everyone else's friendship ended in a sour note. Then again, Sun was the one who started it. That didn't mean that the absence didn't impact him in some way.

"Sun…" Lana hugged her body, trying her hardest not to cry. Sun left without even saying goodbye to anyone. He really hated everyone that much. Going so far as to backing out of his Final Trial, which everyone was so sure that he would've passed with flying colors and become Alola's first champion.

As for Lillie, she didn't hold back her feelings. "N-no! You're lying! You're lying!" Lillie pulled on the ends of her hats, shielding her eyes from everyone. "Sun's still here! He must've overslept! He didn't leave Alola!"

Sophocles pulled out his smartphone and showed everyone what was on the screen. "He is gone. Sun sent me a picture about an hour ago."

The picture consisted of Sun and his mother standing beside a sign that read: Welcome to Vermillion City! Both of them had bright smile on their faces. Their family Meowth was on Sun's mother's shoulders while Sun's pokémon were in front of him.

"He looks really happy to be back in his hometown," Kiawe said out loud, observing the picture.

Lillie took one quick glimpse of the picture before rushing out of the classroom. She ignored the professor telling her to stop. Lillie departed from the school and let the sobs that she was holding in out. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she began to cry her heart out.

Lillie didn't stop running. She had only one destination in mind and that was to go to Sun's house. Her mind flashed back to the memories she had with Sun. Each one brought more tears pouring out of her eyes while she ran.

Sun's house was in the distance now. She approached the house and rammed her shoulder on the door. Lillie kept doing this as she cried out Sun's name over and over, begging him to open the door for her.

Remembering something, Lillie threw the welcome mat to the side and found a spare key. She snatched it and messily opened the lock on the door.

"Sun! I'm here! You're not really gone! Can you hear me!?" Lillie entered the house and shouted to the direction where his room was. She noticed that Sun's mother wasn't anywhere to be found. Neither was Meowth. The feline usually was on the couch watching programs with Sun's mother.

"If you don't give me a sign then I'll come up there myself!" Hearing no response, Lillie barrelled up the stairs. She was unknowingly searching all over an empty home.

On the second floor, Lillie found that Sun's bedroom door was open. She burst inside the room, expecting Sun to be in his bed sleeping.

Only he wasn't.

The room was empty. The furniture was still there but any clothes or accessories were gone. It was at that moment that Lillie truly realized that Sun was gone.

"Sun…" Lillie fell to her knees and cried more. It hurt her that Sun left without even telling her. She must've been there for ten minutes until she started to calm down a little.

While in her kneeling position, Lillie spotted something sticking from under his bed. She rubbed her eyes to clear most of the stained tears on her face and inched closer to Sun's bed.

Curiously, she grasped the object from underneath the bed and pulled it closer to her. Lillie was genuinely surprised to see what it was.

It was a journal titled: **My Alola Journey.**

Lillie opened to the first page, and sure enough it detailed the beginning of his Island Challenge. She found herself immersed in Sun's journal, reading every word of it to ensure that she didn't miss enough.

It covered on several different topics. Befriending Hau, encountering Team Skull for the first time, Gladion's random appearances, meeting each of the guardian deities, how he perceived each Island Kahuna, helping out Hapu, and even about his father's death. There was a section solely about Acerola and their relationship, which Lillie hesitantly read. She learned about their fallout. How Nanu forced them to stop seeing each other. Since Nanu was Acerola's guardian, there wasn't really anything they could do.

Lillie didn't know how much time had passed. She was sitting on Sun's bed, reading his journal. It seemed that he covered just about every day of his journey, something that Lillie was grateful for. It meant that it would take longer to read and savor the journal's information.

She lingered around the parts where her name was specifically mentioned. Almost all of them had at least one compliment directed to her. There weren't ever any bad things that Sun wrote about her.

The last entry that Sun wrote was of him talking about the Final Trial and how stoked he was to take part of it. After that, it ended there. Everything after that was a whole fiasco. Lillie understood why he chose not to write about any of that.

When Lillie was finished reading, she looked out the window. The sun had lowered a little. She took it as it being around three o'clock. She had been in Sun's house since morning. School's been over by now and she missed a day's worth of learning.

Lillie didn't mind. For once, she found herself not caring about school. Reading Sun's journal taught her way more than what the professor could teach her in a day. She took a deep breath and clutched the journal in her arms tightly.

 _'Goodbye… Sun.'_

With that, Lillie left the house with the journal.

 **Present**

Lillie awoke with a hitched gasp. The memory of that day and the emotions she felt still haunted her to this day. Sun's absence had impacted her life greatly.

 _'Wait.'_ Lillie was slightly confused as to why she was hugging something. Her hazy vision came back and she felt her heart warm at the sight.

It was Sun. He wasn't gone anymore. He was back where he truly belonged. She didn't have to worry anymore. Sun was here to make it all better. Granted, he remained unconscious but he was still here nonetheless.

"Sun…" Lillie buried her face on his shoulder, tightening her hold. She stayed there for a good minute. She enjoyed the warm feeling radiating from her heart. The butterflies in her stomach only made her smile while she hugged the person that she missed dearly.

Lillie's reunion was shortly cut when she heard the cries of Glaceon, Vanilluxe, and Ninetales from up above. They sounded like they were warning her.

Slowly, Lillie removed herself from Sun and sat up. Her whole body froze when she saw the dozens of Poipoles surrounding all around her and Sun.

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

Gladion held back a yawn as he stared at the rising sun. It was early morning. He had been searching all night now. He was tired, yes, but finding Lillie was far more important.

"Don't you think we've been searching far enough?" Hau yawned, feeling the effects too. Moon had left a few hours ago. She started that she wanted to go to sleep and start fresh tomorrow. Her absence didn't affect Gladion the slightest.

It was a bit awkward between Hau and Gladion. They weren't really friends, only meeting a handful of times and never sparked a conversation.

 _'Then again. I don't think Sun and Gladion are friends either.'_ Hau thought. Sun had told him stories from when he was younger and how Gladion scared him greatly. It wasn't like that anymore. Hau was sure that Gladion at least respected Sun as a trainer.

"You don't have to stay. No one is forcing you to," Gladion said coldly.

"Yeah but…" Hau wasn't trying to anger Gladion with the truth so he dropped it. "Didn't Miss Lusamine and her team say that they were going to find Lillie during morning time? If we don't go soon then we'll be left behind!"

"For the last time, Lillie isn't in the stupid Ultra Wormhole!!" Hau and Gladion's Noiverns sweatdropped.

Hau pursed his lips and imagined himself with a thinking cap on. He had to convince Gladion to go with him, otherwise the other would lose one heck of a trainer during their voyage in the Ultra Wormhole. A thought strayed past his mind.

 _'If I was Sun, what would I do?'_ Sun was pretty smart. If Hau put himself in his shoes, he was bound to figure it out. That's when it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Aha!" Hau silently giggled, grinning madly. He shook off the willies and kept a straight face. "That's alright. I guess Sun was right about you after all."

Gladion stopped walking and cocked his head backwards. His brows furrowed. "What did Sun say about me?"

 _'Score!'_ Hau shouted victoriously in his head. Gladion was sometimes a bit aggressive when it came to topics related to him. Right now was no different.

"Oh, you know," Hau whistled innocently and lightly kicked the ground. "He told me that you were secretly a big chicken on the inside. I suppose you're too scared to go in an Ultra Wormhole."

 _'Now I'll let the magic happen!'_

To his shock, Gladion was glaring at him. "Hau, I went inside an Ultra Wormhole to save my own mother before. I told Sun that when he was still around." He caught his lie in a heartbeat.

Hau laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe. I think I might've got my words mixed up! What I meant to say was Sun and I were hanging out by the mud pool and he kept on talking all about you! He said you were just an edgelord who needed to stop acting like a grouch and stop doing those stupid poses. Like the one you do during the beginning of each battle. Like this!"

Hau put his arm out forward and bent his elbow back so that his hand was in front of his face. He scrunched up his finger, as if he was grasping an invisible object. He used his other hand to clasp it on his other arm. Music was mysteriously playing in the background. The sound of glass breaking was heard and Hau put one arm around his chest and used his other hand to place it near his forehead. Hau's face shared an unfamiliar emotion. That emotion was edgy.

Hau held the pose in place, proud that he nailed it great. His celebration however, was short lived.

Gladion's ear were burning red out of embarrassment. He was made fun of by Hau no less! "Hau… Sun hates mud. He has no reason to be at a mud pool." His voice darkened with each word spoken.

The area was silent, except for the sound of the wind breezing through. Hau was frozen in place. He was trying to undo the pose but found himself unable to do so out of fear. His eyes were as wide as poké balls. An anxious smile was seen on his face.

 _'H-how could I forget that Sun hates mud!? Oh no!!! Gladion's gonna beat me up, just like in Sun's stories!!!!!'_ Hau was losing his cool. This wasn't what he had in mind at all.

"Gaaahhhhhh!!!!!" Hau regained his mobility and hopped on his Noivern. The two were off in a flash.

"Hau!!! Get back here and take your beating like a trainer!!" Gladion wasn't going to let Hau trash his pose and call him an edgelord. He got on his Noivern and took off.

Ten minutes had passed and the outcome was still on hold.

"Grandad! Tapu Koko! Help me!!!" Hau yelled to no one, hoping that his prays came true. His eyes grew bigger and so did the tears in his eyes as he tried to out fly Gladion.

Gladion was no straggler by any means. He was catching up to Hau easily.

Hau spotted Ten Carat Hill up ahead and decided to land there and try to outrun Gladion by foot. His Noivern zoomed down and landed. Hau boarded off his Noivern and started to run away.

Gladion stopped in mid-air. "Noivern, Boomburst!" Hau ran in a straight line. Gladion's Noivern took a few second to eye its target and was about to shoot.

"Hey, Gladion!" The two momentarily forgot about Hau. Out in the distance, was Ash, Mallow, Kiawe, and Sophocles. Lana and Moon weren't present with them.

That wasn't the thing he was most focused at. That title belonged to Lunala, who had finally recovered and was soaring in front of the Ultra Guardians.

"Lunala!" Gladion was relieved to see Lunala up and flying.

"You decided to join us after all! Awesome!" Ash laughed merrily. Gladion was sure to assist them greatly.

"Join? What do you…" Gladion eyes went back to Hau, who was giving him a smile and a thumbs up. He was tricked… somehow.

 _'Hehe! My plan worked even with its flaws!'_ Hau clapped his hands, glad at the outcome. He was about to take off to home until a voice called out to him.

"Hau!" It was Professor Kukui. He was waving at him while another man was behind him. Hau felt like he seen him before but couldn't quite place it.

"Heya, professor! What are you doing here?" Hau asked curiously.

"Faba and I…" He gestured towards the other male adult. "Are here to block off any threats while the Ultra Guardians head inside the wormhole. Which they should be doing right about…" Lunala created an Ultra Wormhole and went in. The Ultra Guardians followed, with some hesitation from Gladion. "Now."

Faba touch his shoulder. "Not to alarm you, but I feel like we're being watched." He released his Alakazam and Hypno.

Professor Kukui followed his lead. He called out Braviary. "Braviary! Scout the area!" Braviary squawked and flew off.

"Can I help you two?" Hau pleaded, pitching for some action. It would be his first battle in forever. With Sun back, his passion for battling reignited.

Professor Kukui smiled. "Sure! We'll need all the help we can get with Matori Matrix!" He liked the idea since Hau was at the same level as Sun. They would overcome Team Rocket for sure.

"Alright! Come on out!" Hau released his Primarina and motioned his Noivern to come closer.

The three heard Braviary attack a row of bushes, alerting them of incoming enemies.

 _ **On the other side of the Ultra Wormhole...**_

The Ultra Guardians were silently following Lunala until a purple beam was fired at them. This momentarily stopped the five Ultra Guardians.

They stared at the spot for a good minute. Another purple beam was thrown to their direction. Kiawe felt threatened and ordered Charizard to attack.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Charizard's Flamethrower managed to extinguish the purple beam.

Just then, a single Poipole emerged from one of the many gaps of the area. More and more Poipole's revealed themselves to the Ultra Guardians, much to their astonishment.

The five traveled downwards a little to get a closer look. There were string-like substances the further they went down.

"Is that a Poipole nest?" Ash whispered to himself, amazed by the sight. Out of nowhere, the Poipoles began to shoot out their Toxic attacks.

The Ultra Guardians had to swerve and dodge the purple ink that was coming their way.

"Wait! We're not your enemies! We're just here to save Nebby!" Ash shouted. The Poipole didn't seem to care and continued their onslaught.

Ash's Poipole wandered closer to its own kind.

"Poipole!" Ash warned the Ultra Beast to be careful.

Suddenly, a voice called out to them.

"Stop! They're my friends!" Immediately, the Poipoles stopped their attacks.

"Was that…?" Kiawe was cut off by an alarmed Gladion.

"Lillie!" Gladion yelled. "Where are you!?"

"Down here! We're okay!" Lillie's voice echoed because of the rocky walls. Gladion raced downwards with his Noivern. The Poipoles made a path for the Ultra Guardians so they can get to Lillie easier.

"What did she mean by we?" Sophocles asked out loud. Gladion ignored him, rushing down faster than the rest. He didn't care about what Lillie said, he just needed to make sure she was safe and get the proper scolding for running off.

Gladion was stopped by an unknown creature stepping out of the shadows. It resembled a purple dragon, but something was off.

"Some huge one just showed up!" Mallow said, losing her sorrowful behavior. Being in the new area was a little exciting for her. The mission was a way for her to forget about her current issues.

Poipole grinned and hurried over to the unknown creature. It turned upside down and twirled around, giggling happily.

"You know, it kind of looks like Poipole. Like the color and shape," Sophocles pointed out.

"Is it… one of its kind?" Ash inquired. The unknown creature collapsed on the floor, shocking the Ultra Guardians and Poipole. Ash had the need to help it and trudged forward. Any kind of creature should always be taken care of in Ash's book.

"Wait, Ash!" Kiawe stopped him. "If we don't get going, we'll lose sight of Lunala."

Ash gritted his teeth and turned his head slightly backwards. Lunala was barely visible to the eye. It had gone on without them. Ash then looked at the injured creature. He made up his mind.

"But we got to help that big one!" He did want to save Nebby, but there was another being in need of help. It was right there. If he had left, he couldn't bear himself with the guilt of leaving an injured creature on it's own.

"Lillie's down there! Let's move it!" Gladion went around the creature and continued forward. The Ultra Guardians followed.

Gladion approached an opening. He directed his Noivern in and was amazed by the place.

It was the Poipole nest. The walls reminded him of hives that had hexagonal shapes. There was a nest in the very center. It was just his luck that Lillie happened to be there to.

She was sitting down with her legs out forward. Snowy, Glaceon, Vanilluxe, and Ninetales were around her. Altaria was off to the side, seemingly resting. Taking another look at Lillie, it appeared as if she was holding something in front of her. Though, it was hard to tell because she had her back against him.

"Lillie! Don't worry! I'm here!" Gladion and Noivern landed, along with the rest of the Ultra Guardians.

"Lillie, you're alright!" Ash exclaimed with relief. He took notice of the pokémon surrounding her, briefly wondering where the rest of Sun's pokémon were.

"You worried us sick!" Kiawe was smiling broadly now that they found Lillie. Mallow was too, but she remained silent.

"I'm glad that you were worried for me. Not to fret, we're safe. We managed to get away from Dusk Mane Necrozma. The Poipoles here brought us to safety in their nest. I'm just watching over him, waiting for you all to rescue us." Lillie was stroking something with her hand, confusing the Ultra Guardians.

"Who's we?" Sophocles asked, speaking for all of them.

Lillie slowly turned around, revealing what she was holding. A series of gasps filled the area when they saw who it was.

"Sun!" The Ultra Guardians shouted in unison. Sun was out of it, but that didn't stop Lillie from tending to him. She placed his head on her lap. A gentle smile was on her face and her eyes were fixated on Sun. She caressed his hair softly.

"You rescued him. Does that mean that he isn't possessed anymore?" Sophocles questioned excitingly. His mood went up when Lillie nodded her head.

"Did you see Marshadow?" Kiawe fired his own question.

"Yes. It's here right now. It's just hiding. Maybe it's a bit shy around strangers," Lillie replied calmly. The Ultra Guardians tensed up at that.

Kiawe narrowed his eyes, uncertain. "And that doesn't concern you?"

Lillie shook her head. "Nope." Her response made Kiawe sweatdrop. The pokémon that had possessed Sun this whole time was here and Lillie wasn't fazed by it at all.

"Lillie, you shouldn't go off like that on your own. What if something horrible happened to you!? No one would be there to help!" Gladion scolded his younger sister.

He was genuinely surprised when Lillie glared at him.

"I can take care of myself, big brother. I already told you that I'm fine. I had to go off on my own. Because I did, Sun's back to normal and he's with me again." Lillie laid Sun's head back down and stood up.

"That's not the point. You said it yourself that you had to hide in order to avoid Dusk Mane Necrozma. This Sun is starting to become a bad influence on you. He's making you do all these crazy things that could risk your own life." He crossed his arms. "After this, I don't want to see you with him. It's for your own good."

 _'Uh oh. This can't end well.'_ Luckily for the Ultra Guardians, the Poipoles and the big creature came in the nest. They quickly went over to them, wanting to avoid the sibling argument.

"For my own good? Sun's been nothing but kind to me! He is not a bad influence. He's my best friend and I'll fight tooth and nail to be with him!" She declared truthfully.

Gladion laughed darkly. "Tell me, what has the idiot ever done to be labeled as a good influence? Face it Lillie, life would be less chaotic if he wasn't in your life."

"Sun is not an idiot. He's a genius that's helped teach me everything that I need to know!" Lillie yelled at his face. He's taught me how to face my fears. He's been helping me learn more about pokémon. He's even been giving me lessons on how to battle! Sun is a great influence and I wouldn't be the person I am today without him!"

Gladion knew that she was right about Sun helping her, but that didn't stop him from arguing some more. "Listen, Lillie-"

"No! You listen Gladion!" She interjected, irritating the blonde haired boy more. "Sun has been there for me when you or mother couldn't! You just don't understand because you never ask! You only want to battle him which is baffling because you have never ever beaten him once in your life! With the skills that Sun's taught me, I bet that even I can beat you!" Lillie was relentless, pouring all of the facts at Gladion.

Gladion face turned red out of utter humiliation. He couldn't think of anything else to say. Lillie had gotten the best of him.

"I know you care about Sun too Gladion, but you're more worried about me than him! He's hurting right now whereas I'm the opposite. I'm not that little sister who was scared by pokémon anymore. I don't need saving from you, mother, or even Sun. Right now..." Lillie's eyes flared a new emotion that Gladion had never seen before. "I'm doing the saving."

Gladion was left speechless as Lillie left and rejoined Sun and the pokémon. His stunned state was put on hold when his attention was gained by the other Ultra Guardians.

"Doesn't look like there's anything particularly wrong with it," Kiawe noted, examining its head. "But it does seem tired."

Mallow brought over some Obon Berries from Flygon's bag. "Have some Oban Berries. Eat." She presented the berries to the unknown creature. It stared at the Oban Berries for a few seconds before declining Mallow's offer.

Ash's Poipole flew over beside its buddy and urged it to follow Mallow's instructions. The creature eventually gave in and opened its mouth.

"Excellent." Mallow tossed the berries into its mouth, satisfied at its compliance. It ate the berries cautiously. "Well? Is it good? Please do get better." At first, the being gave no sign of response. But then.

"Thank you, ones without stingers." Mallow nearly lost it when the creature started to communicate with them. Everyone else shared similar reactions, including the pokémon.

Lillie trusted Sun's pokémon to watch over him and joined her fellow teammates.

"Thank you, ones without stingers," It repeated.

Sophocles turned his head left and right. "W-what? Who was that?"

The purple creature rose to its feet. "It was me." Sophocles' face showed nothing but pure bewilderment. "You said you had come to rescue Solgaleo, correct?"

Kiawe was the first to get rid of his shock and stepped forward. "Yes! Dusk Mane Necrozma possessed Solgaleo and fled here!" He explained to it.

"I presume you dubbed it as Dusk Mane because of its new form." A round of nods flowed its way. "I see. Poor Solgaleo, suffering the same fate as that gloom dweller pokémon and the boy. Though, I see that the two have managed to escape its wretched grasp." The purple being focused in on Sun and then at the ground. No one but Lillie could tell what it was looking at.

"You're free to come out. Not a single soul will harm you here." Ash watched as a shadow on the ground grew darker in color. A figure popped out from within the ground, leaving a trace of its shadow with it.

"Marshadow!" Everyone but Gladion recognized the pokémon from the one that Mina sketched out a few days ago. Its presence put everyone on edge.

"Marshadow? So you've already been named?" Marshadow didn't move an inch, making the unknown creature chuckle. "Always the silent type. It's nice to see you finally escape Necrozma's control."

Ash had a question mark appear beside him. "What do you mean by that?"

Lillie was the one to answer. "It means that Marshadow didn't mean to cause this whole mess. It was being possessed by Necrozma itself." The new revelation surprised the Ultra Guardians. All the new information was making Ash's head spin.

"Wait." Ash paused, thinking how he should phrase his sentence. "So Necrozma was possessing Marshadow while it was possessing Sun? A double possession? How does that work?"

"It's a very powerful skill. One that being like Marshadow and Necrozma hold. Even I myself can't quite comprehend it." It switched its sights back to Sun. "As for the boy, I'm glad that he is okay. Each time I see him from the distance, he looks miserable while under the possession. Necrozma made a big mistake letting Marshadow go free."

Lillie got angry for some reason. "You're telling me that you watched him and did nothing about it? Why?"

It made absolutely no sense to Lillie why the purple creature made no attempt to assist Sun. Even then, it could've used the entire Poipole army to gang up on it.

"What could I have possibly done? I was getting weaker out of exhaustion from protecting these little ones. Even in my full strength, I stand no chance against Necrozma. With or without the little ones. Besides, I'm positive that you couldn't either. Those Ultra Beasts can only go so far…" Its voice trailed off.

Lillie fidgeted, feeling everyone's eyes on her "H-how do you-"

"I have some of my braver ones act as scouts. They were watching you since your arrival." Four Poipoles nodding, revealing themselves as the scouts. "Don't be ashamed of your performance. You did far better than I could have ever expected out of a trainer. Your skills are certainly no joke. Retreating was certainly the best move. It was lucky that you stumbled upon our nest. I requested the Poipoles to not harm you."

Gladion turned his gaze over to Lillie, now fully believing her words. Whatever Sun's been teaching her has definitely paid off in the long run. He needed to know how strong Necrozma actually was.

Thankfully, Kiawe spoke up with a similar question. "What pokémon did you use? It's impressive that you were able to square off against Necrozma, regardless if you retreated."

Lillie pulled out a mix of poké balls and Beast Balls. "The rest of the pokémon that I used were defeated. Pyroar, Electivire, and Xurkitree got taken out by Prismatic Laser. Aerodactyl couldn't get back up after Psycho Cut. Stakataka… I'm not sure but I believe it was one of Nebby's attack that Necrozma used to take it down. Sunsteel Strike I think. Blacephalon sacrificed itself so we could escape. Sandslash, Froslass and Decidueye…" The Ultra Guardians' eyes shot open at the mention of Decidueye and Froslass on the defeated list. "Stakataka accidentally smashed into them. Its size was too much for them to handle."

"That had to hurt." Sophocles winced, imagining the pain that the three went through.

"It was just us left." Lillie gestured towards the remaining pokémon. "Altaria is badly hurt. It injured its wing by one of Dusk Mane Necrozma's attacks."

Mallow went over to her Flygon. "Not to worry. I'll go heal it!" She grabbed the medical kit and took it over to Altaria.

"So, did Marshadow help out in the battle?" Kiawe pondered out loud.

Lillie shook her head. "It only used two moves and that was that. Marshadow, why didn't you help us more?" Marshadow just stared at her, which made some of the Ultra Guardians uncomfortable.

The purple let out a small laugh. "It seems that Marshadow here discovered what I know all on its own. While you did splendid with your battle, please leave Necrozma be." A wave of shock past through the Ultra Guardians. "We have need of Necrozma's power."

"But that would mean leaving Nebby. Why?" Gladion wasn't fully on board with the purple creature's request. "Please explain your reasons."

The unknown being exchanged glances with Ash's Poipole. "Then allow me to show you what happened in this world."

Ash closed his eyes for a split second. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in a flowery area. "Amazing!"

Kiawe strolled towards him. "Is this telepathy too?"

Mallow examined her surroundings. "There's so much green! Could this be…?" She had a feeling as to where they were based on their previous location.

The purple creature stood in front of the Ultra Guardians. "It's this world as it once was. The world we live in was filled with the light that Necrozma rained down on us."

Ash noticed something from up above. There were many happy Poipoles wandering around the sky. In the middle, was a shiny remarkable figure that glowed as yellow as the sun's ray.

"Th-that's Necrozma?!" Ash sputtered in disbelief. "It looks just like the painting of the Radiant One! The Poipoles call the Radiant One, Necrozma?" Poipole hovered beside Ash and giggled brightly, confirming his thoughts.

"However." The purple creature brought back their attention. "It was not just the light of hope that rained down on us." The scene then had a fiery transition. It turned out to be the shape of a meteor.

"If this fell on you, then…" Sophocles didn't want to finish that sentence.

"Kaboom," Lillie finished for him, mimicking the gesture with her hands.

The sky then showed two figure fighting in a test of strength. The mysterious purple creature and Poipoles watched on. The result came in the form of a enormous explosion. The one that came out of the wreckage was none other than Necrozma.

Lillie came up with a conclusion. "That means that the Radiant One, having lost its light, became the Necrozma we know now."

"Indeed. You are quite the clever girl," It complimented. Lillie gave a nod in return. "Necrozma protected this world, but… it was wounded and since it lost its light, it entered a long slumber. In time, the plants withered and the lands were desolated. After that, all we could do was rely on what little light we had and live huddled together like this."

Ash frowned. "To have a whole beautiful world taken from you like that… it must've been awful." Ash was by no means, unfamiliar with threats. His interactions with various other teams in different regions was troubling enough.

The purple creature continued, "I had no choice but to search for a new place where everyone could live. But I am old, and I no longer have the strength to do so." The background changed once more. This time showing some Poipoles fleeing.

Ash immediate recognized one of them as his own.

"This one set out on its own." It held Ash's Poipole with its claw. The area reverted back to its normal background.

Ash stared at his Poipole, seeing it in a new light. "And so you came to Alola?" Poipole said something that Ash took as a yes before it got up close with the purple creature.

"I see… Alola seems like a nice place. Just when we had given up on this world, and place our hope on a new land… a chance appeared."

The scene shifted into images of Lunala and Solgaleo flying. Lillie ignored the creature's following words and confronted Marshadow.

"You knew attacking Dusk Mane Necrozma was a waste of time and didn't tell me?! Less pokemon could've been hurt if you said something." Lillie got up in Marshadow's personal space. Naturally, Marshadow didn't take this too kindly.

Marshadow stomped on Lillie foot, causing her to yelp. Lillie tripped over Sun's body and fell on top of him. Marshadow went back to being emotionless again.

"Lillie, do you mind telling us the story of the Radiant One?" Mallow asked, until she saw Lillie position. "Erm. You know what, I'm sure we all know what it is..." She coughed awkwardly, taking her eyes off Lillie.

Lillie flushed and got back up quickly. "I-It isn't what it looks like!"

"Uh huh." Kiawe didn't want to dwell on the matter for much longer. "Anyway, Necrozma had a reason for attacking Solgaleo and Lunala then? Since it needs the Ultra Aura from the two to gain light."

Sophocles put a hand over his forehead. "So everyone we thought was evil turned out to be innocent after all? What are the odds?" First was Sun, then Marshadow, and now Necrozma.

Mallow scratched her head. "So you wanted to revitalize Necrozma and have it restore this world?" The creature nodded its head.

Gladion clenched his fists. "But that would mean losing Solgaleo forever."

"But if we save Solgaleo." Ash's eyed saddened when he gazed at Poipole. "Poipole's world stays like this." A period of silence fell upon them. They had a decision to make, each having its own fair share of consequences.

The Ultra Guardian didn't have time to think about it. A loud rumble shook the nest violently. Lillie and the pokémon shielded Sun, believing the worst was coming.

"It came from outside! Let's go!" Ash rushed out of the nest, with the Ultra Guardians in tow. Lillie remained in the nest, conflicted of choosing to go with her team or stay with Sun.

"Go now, blonde trainer. We will watch over the boy. Your friends need you." Lillie still lingered around the area. "You really must care for the boy, huh?" Lillie didn't meet its eye, resorting to staring down at the ground. "Tell me this, do you regret fighting Necrozma?"

Lillie thought about it. She crouched down a placed a hand over Sun's chest. She could feel his heart beating faintly, most likely because of his injuries.

"No. If I didn't, Sun wouldn't be here and Necrozma would've been harder to hide from," She confessed.

"A reasonable answer. Now go! I give you my word that not a single foe will harm the boy." Finally, Lillie gave in and let the creature take over. Sun's pokémon had already left to check out the commodity outside, leaving her with her now fully restored Altaria and Snowy.

"Before I leave, may I ask, what do I call you?"

"Call me... Naganadel." Naganadel stood in front of Sun and acted as a barrier.

"Thank you, Naganadel." Lillie bowed her head in respect and left the nest with Snowy and Altaria.

When she regrouped with the rest of her team, Gladion was fighting off Dusk Mane Necrozma with his Silvally. Gladion was about to order Silvally to do another Air Slash until Ash stopped him.

"Wait! Gladion! If we leave Necrozma to it's own devices, it'll mean losing both Solgaleo and Lunala!" He reasoned.

"The darkness might fall over Alola eventually, too!" Gladion countered. "Are you okay with that!?" The tone in his voice got louder.

Ash shook his head calmly. "No, I'm not. If we drive Necrozma away then there's no hope for Poipole's world. So I… I'll save everything!!" He declared proudly.

Gladion quirked an eyebrow. "Everything!? You're starting to sound like Sun and Lillie." Ash didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. Though, that was the least of his worries.

"I agree with Ash." Gladion was stupefied to hear Lillie say that.

"As do I!" Kiawe piped up.

"Me too!" Sophocles said.

"And me!" Mallow agreed.

Gladion realized that he was outnumbered, five to one. He sighed heavily. "Well then, what do we do?"

The gears in Ash's head began to spin rapidly as he was coming up with a solid plan. "Necrozma wants Ultra Aura. That's the entire reason why it's trying to possess Solgaleo and Lunala. In short, it's basically starving." His eyes suddenly lit up. "Of course! In times of need, we'll keep each other from har… Stunfisk! Mankey!" He copied his face to resemble the three pokémon mentioned.

Gladion looked at Ash as if he grew another head. "What are you doing?" He face palmed at Ash's actions.

Kiawe grinned. "Alola, Manalo, right? Alola means to share!"

"Manalo means, you and I will live together!" Mallow replied.

"Share… what?" Gladion wasn't following along with Lillie's weird friends.

"Something like power." Sophocles snapped his fingers. "Like z-power! Z-Power is closely linked to Ultra Aura. I remember Professor Burnet saying so!"

Ash was liking the developing plan. "So basically we'll share our z-power with Necrozma and live together with it! Once it's all full from our z-power, it might release Solgaleo!" The other Ultra Guardians happily agreed with Ash's plan. That and they didn't really anything else to work with.

"Gladion?" Ash went face-to-face with his rival. A smirk was present on his face.

"Not like I really have much of a choice. Okay, got it!" The plan was now Gladion approved. "However, the blue one isn't here with her z-ring. Neither is Hau. I doubt we have enough with just us three." He appeared to have forgotten one tiny detail.

"Big brother." Lillie raised her arm up, showing the shiny gold z-power ring clamped on her wrist. Gladion had a mini war going on in his head. This version of Lillie reminded him so much of Sun. He imagined Lillie with Sun's face on and instantly shivered.

 _'I'm so never going to visualize that again.'_

"Sweet! Then ready up you guys!" Ash celebrated a bit too early.

"There's a problem." Lillie tilted her head down to avoid everyone's eyes. "They don't want to perform a z-move with me."

"Eh!? They still don't like you?! What about yesterday?" Sophocles exclaimed. Yesterday, Sun's pokémon listened to her every word. That included the battle with Ash.

"I… may have accidentally… erm…" Lillie hugged her arm. "Lashed out and yelled at them." She whispered, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Lillie!" Gladion gasped. "I thought you were above being mean to pokémon! And to Sun's no less!" He was very disappointed with his little sister to the say the least.

"That's alright… I think." Ash walked over to where Ninetales, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe were. "We're trying to save this entire world and everything so will you please cooperate with Lillie?"

Ninetales' response was a smack to the face with all nine of her tails.

"Ow! Hey, I'm not Lillie!" Ash whined, unknowingly making Lillie feel more guilty about the situation.

Mallow gave her input. "You have the Icium Z, right? Then you can use it with Snowy."

Snowy had a curious look on her face and she awaited for Lillie's response.

"No." Snowy had a hurt expression on her face. "Z-Moves drain a lot of energy if executed. Snowy hasn't had the proper training to even battle properly. I'm sorry, maybe in the future." Snowy still appeared upset. Ninetales went to comfort her and glared at Lillie.

"Geez. You really have been bad with pokémon for a while now," Ash muttered under his breath. "That reminds me, I remember Professor Kukui telling me that only trainers who are successful in the Island Challenge can use z-moves. How can you do them?" He recalled the professor telling him this at the start of his visit.

"Hehe… well…" Lillie chuckled nervously and looked away.

"Lillie. Is there something you wish to tell me?" Gladion crossed his arms, practically demanding an answer.

Sophocles seemed to have an idea as to why Lillie was acting strangely. "Did you... did you complete a trial?"

Lillie had beads of sweat fall from her forehead. She noticed Marshadow heading her way. "Look! It's Marshadow, the super rare pokémon. Let's all focus on it! Hahaha…" She forced a round of laughter from her mouth.

Marshadow shoved something in her hands, pushing Lillie back some. She stumbled, but managed to keep her balance. Lillie opened her hands to see what exactly it gave her.

"Huh…?" Her eyes sparkled. She stared at the object like if it was a shiny pokémon. Her hands began to shake, making everyone wonder what was happening.

Lillie stretched her hand out forward so everyone else could have a better look at it. They all gasped, not believing what they were seeing.

It was a green z-crystal. It had darker shade than that of a Grassium Z. On the center was a face with fiery waves on top of the head. This is a z-crystal like no other.

It was the Marshadium Z.

 **xxxxx** _ **Second Author's Note: If you played the Sun and Moon games then I'm sure you caught on that Sun is resembling that of Lillie. Both left Alola and left a journal/diary. I ended it like that mainly because I didn't want it to go on for too long and I think that's a good stopping point. Marshadow is definitely getting its moment unlike the SM anime where it had one single cameo. Episode 96 is getting added, while 94 is getting cut. For the latest episode, I'm not too sure on. Obviously there's a major difference, that being that Hau has a Primarina in my story, whereas he has Dartrix in the anime. I can probably shape it to still be a training session. Anyway, next chapter features Hau, Kukui, and Faba battling Matori Matrix and the conclusion of Necrozma and Ultra Guardians. Stay tuned.**_


	25. Farewell

**_Author's Note: This took a while only because I was playing the new let's go game for the majority of my free time. With Smash coming out tomorrow, that might suck more time out of me. Onto the story itself, it's the conclusion of the Necrozma arc. I got two flashbacks in here, one being just to show the past while the other having some importance to Lillie and Sun. Everyone gets some spot line, except for Lana and Moon. Not much else to say so enjoy the chapter._**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.**

* * *

Lillie stared at the mysterious z-crystal with glimmering eyes. A shiny twinkle could be seen reflecting off her eyes. She slowly brought the z-crystal closer to her face.

"I've never seen that z-crystal before!" Ash said, still in shock. "Could it be a z-crystal specific to only Marshadow?"

Kiawe's eyes were as wide as poké balls. His initial thoughts were about how much power it could hold. "Only a selected few pokémon have such a z-crystal that belongs to them. Marshadow is more special than I imagined."

Lillie looked at the z-crystal and then at Marshadow. She frowned and shook her head. "I-I can't accept this."

"Why not?" Sophocles asked. The other Ultra Guardians leaned in to hear her explanation.

"I just can't. I've been cruel to Sun's pokémon and their disobedience only further proves that." Ninetales, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe merely looked away at that. "I'm not worthy of this. Only strong trainers that have a deep connection with their pokémon should. Someone like you…" She turned to her brother. "Gladion."

Gladion stiffened when all eyes were on him. He eyed Lillie, checking to see if she was being serious. He saw no signs of her lying. Sighing, Gladion made up his mind and stepped forward.

"Lillie." Gladion was in front of Lillie, directing eye contact with her. "You… you idiot!" He smacked the back of her head, similar to what he usually did to Sun in the past.

"Ow!" Lillie yelped, feeling Gladion's hand strike her. It wasn't enough to leave lasting effects but it still hurt nonetheless.

"Why did you do that!?" Lillie cried out, not liking that her own brother hit her.

"Because you're acting like an idiot! You really are turning into Sun." Gladion pulled Lillie into a hug, confusing her even more. "The one thing that I appreciate that you two have in common is your status as a trainer. You two are at an equal level."

Lillie got out of the hug but Gladion managed to place his hands on her shoulders.

"Sun and I aren't on the same level. He's on a whole different level," Lillie said quietly.

Gladion scoffed, "Cut it out. Lillie, you're downgrading yourself as a pathetic trainer. You are a great trainer. Do I make myself clear?" He looked at her dead in the eye to get a genuine answer.

"B-but I'm not-"

"Do I make myself clear?" Gladion repeated, his tone growing more stern.

"Yes… but I'm-"

"Lillie! Listen to me!" Gladion interrupted his younger sister once more. "What happened to the talk we had earlier? You made it clear that Sun's taught you everything a trainer should know. You even yelled at me. Accepting this Marshadow's z-crystal is no different. Tell me Lillie, what changed?"

Lillie was so fierce during his argument with Gladion. It baffled him that she was cowering out last minute. There was no reason for her to do so. She was even willing to perform z-moves with Sun's pokémon. Yet, that changed when Marshadow gave her its z-crystal.

"It's… it's just Marshadow… I-I…" Lillie lowered her head. She didn't feel like giving any explanation. This only annoyed Gladion.

"What happened to the strong, confident Lillie that took me down a peg earlier? Instead, I get this mess of a trainer," He sneered. Lillie felt her eyes start to tear up.

"Hey Gladion, I think you should tone it down on Lillie," Ash jumped in, worried for his friend.

"I think you should mind your own business, Ash Ketchum!" Gladion fired back. "This is strictly a sibling conversation." He scanned the rest of the Ultra Guardians. None looked too please with his words. Gladion quickly prevented them from saying another word by continuing his talk with Lillie.

"Is it because of Sun?" Lillie body straightened, leading Gladion to a conclusion. "So it is. You can't seem to do anything without your precious little Sun, can you? You depend on him too much. I thought you were the one _'doing the saving around here.'_ But now look at you. Pathetic." He shook his head and turned away from Lillie.

Lillie was silently crying. She remained silent, which was Gladion's last straw.

"It seems like I was right all along. Sun hasn't really taught you anything. He's only taught you how to be a coward and look where that got him. Captured by Team Skull. Leaving Alola. Getting possessed. It's rubbing on you."

 _'Come on. Take the bait.'_ Gladion clenched his fists tightly. Poipole's world was at risk. He was willing to do anything, even if it meant Lillie not wanting anything to do with him after this. Unfortunately, Lillie didn't do a thing. Gladion wanted to pull his hair out at how stubborn Lillie was being.

 _'If slandering Sun won't do it, then I have to take it up a notch.'_ Gladion wanted Lillie to use Marshadow's z-crystal. It wouldn't be enough for three z-moves to engulf Necrozma with Ultra Aura. With Lana gone, they needed a fourth.

 _'If only Hau came instead of tricking me.'_ Gladion mentally slapped himself. _'I'm still going to teach him a lesson after this.'_

Gladion partly wanted Lillie to get angry. That way, she'd fall for his trap and use the z-crystal to show him that she wasn't all those things he said to her.

Then it finally came to him. Gladion came up with a brilliant idea. At least, in his opinion.

"You know what? Since the only reason you came here was for Sun, why don't we continue it?"

"Huh?" Lillie pretty much shared everyone else's reaction. She and the Ultra Guardians watched as Gladion headed back in the Poipole Nest.

Ash walked towards Lillie and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Gladion didn't mean what he said. He's probably just cooling down right now," He said soothingly.

"Yeah." Mallow raised one of her crutches up. "If these weren't here then I would've given him a piece of my mind!" She offered her support, cheering up the blonde haired girl.

"We might not know your reasoning for not accepting the z-crystal," Sophocles started, gazing at Marshadow, who had the z-crystal in its hands. "But we understand if you don't want to say anything. We're your friends."

"We'll get Sun's pokémon to play nice. That way, you can do a z-move with one of them," Kiawe added in, balling his fist up. Sun's three pokémon weren't fazed by it at all.

Marshadow looked at Lillie, a little angry that she wouldn't take the z-crystal. Though, it hid its anger well.

"Lillie!" Gladion's voice could be heard inside the entrance of the nest. He came out, but not empty handed.

Gladion came out with Sun's unconscious form in his hold.

 _'You gave me your word!'_ Lillie internally cursed Naganadel for not keeping its word. Then again, it said no one would hurt him. Technically, Gladion wasn't hurting him nor was he a foe.

Gladion did his best to hold up Sun's limp body. He pinned one of Sun's arms behind his back. He gave up and dumped Sun's body on the ground but still kept his hold on Sun's right arm.

"If you don't accept that z-crystal and help us… then I'll break his arm!" He threatened. In the back of his head, he was yelling at himself to stop.

 _'If she was willing to risk her life by going in the Ultra Wormhole for Sun, then she'd have no problem doing as I say to save his arm.'_

"No!" Lillie shrieked, mortified by the sight.

"That's enough Gladion!" Ash was ready to interfere in support of Lillie and Sun. Gladion was taking things too far for his liking. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

It was at the heat of the moment and Ash's head was clouded into saving Sun. It didn't register in his head that he was going to hurt Gladion.

Pikachu was loyal and went with what Ash ordered. His tail shifted into a steel gray texture and he jumped up. The mouse pokémon did a front flip and had his steel reinforced tail set to hit Gladion on the head.

Gladion reacted quickly and pulled up Sun's body so he'd act as a body shield. Pikachu stopped his attack when his tail was mere inches from Sun's face. Pikachu landed back on the ground and glared at the blonde haired boy for using a tactic like that.

"Should anyone of you get in the way, you'll only put Sun in greater risk! Think again before you try something like that!" For some odd reason, his heart was beating fast. It was an exhilarating rush to have the upper advantage against his sister and teammates.

"Why are you doing this? Injuring Sun isn't going to get us nowhere! We're wasting time here!" Kiawe protested.

"Zip it! Last time I checked, you and green over there hated Sun!" He knew he hit a nerve when mentioning the hostility from before. Mallow frowned and averted her eyes to the ground.

Kiawe on the other hand defended himself. "That was before-"

"Before Looker had to hand feed you the truth," Gladion cut him off rather bluntly. "As one of his friends, I expected thamentioninbnsee through the bad Team Skull act straight away. Guess I was wrong." It did the trick. Kiawe and Mallow kept their mouths shut after that.

Gladion was too busy dealing with them to notice thamentioninbaru was sneaking up behind him.

"Now!" Sophocles shouted, startling Gladion. Togedemaru used Zing Zap in an attempt to get Gladion to free Sun. However, she was stopped when Silvally used Multi-Attack. Togedemaru managed to get out of there unharmed and returned next to Sophocles' side.

"Heh. Resorting to attacking me from behind? It's never going to work." The Ultra Guardians were all out of tricks. Gladion smirked and focused in on Lillie. His smirk vanished when he caught tears falling freely from her eyes. He was starting to regret his decision.

Lillie furiously wiped her tears away and gave Gladion a harsh glare. "F-fine! I'll do it. You're so cruel… big brother." She refrained from calling him by his name, too disgusted at him to do so.

"Good." Gladion didn't really care and dropped Sun's arm. He waited for Lillie to do as she was told. His gaze hardened on Lillie. Lillie glared right back, but with more intensity.

"That was just cold." Ash had lost some respect for Gladion because of what he did. Using Sun to do his bidding and then forcing Lillie to do something that she didn't was just plain wrong.

Marshadow internally nodded and tossed its z-crystal back to Lillie. Without looking, Lillie grabbed it and locked it inside of Sun's z-power ring. For a moment, she felt a sense of dread crawl inside her skin as the z-crystal was getting comfy in the z-power ring. Her eyes turned to Marshadow, having a feeling that it may have been responsible for it.

Marshadow shrugged, causing Lillie to sweatdrop.

Dusk Mane Necrozma and Lunala were flying nearby, eliciting the Ultra Guardians to act now.

"Alright! It's now or never!" Ash lead the charge. With his Electrium Z, Ash and Pikachu got into position.

"Right!" Kiawe and Marowak got into their own pose. His Firium Z flared brightly.

"Don't mess this up!" Gladion barked. He and Silvally were going to show the Ultra Guardians their new z-move with the Normalium Z.

Lillie was standing there, not moving an inch. For starters, she didn't even know the pose for the z-move. Then there was another reason why she didn't want to do it. It was why she couldn't accept it.

"Hurry Lillie!" Gladion urged her to do it. They transferred the z-power to their respective pokémon.

Marshadow tapped its foot impatiently.

"I can't do it!" Lillie wailed, bailing out of the mission. Marshadow hid its anger very well. If not, it would've surely attacked Lillie.

"Lillie!" Gladion gritted his teeth. He should've been more stricter. He cursed himself for thinking that Lillie wouldn't leave mid-way while they couldn't do anything.

Lillie was met with a smack to the back of the head. "Ow! Why again!?" Her cries were halted when she saw who it was.

"Ninetales?" Lillie was shocked to see the fox pokémon there. Of course, Ninetales appeared crossed and annoyed. She barked angrily, pointing a paw to the z-power ring. "Y-you'll do it?" Ninetales responded by pushing Marshadow out of the way and taking its place.

Marshadow was about to unleash a world of pain on Ninetales with Close Combat but kept its cool. Ninetales was the only one willing to do the z-move with Lillie, which was their best shot for having four trainers using z-power. It bothered Marshadow that Lillie didn't want to use its special z-crystal.

"I-I'll do it then!" Marshadow tightened its fists at how Lillie had no problems with her and Ninetales doing a z-move.

Lillie quickly fished out the Fairium Z. She knew that Ninetales usually preferred it over the Icium Z. That and no one else could use it, making Ninetales feel more special.

Lillie raised her arms up and the Fairium Z sparkled. She made a heart with her hands and did a pose meant for the Fairium Z. Pink Ultra Aura was transferred from the z-power ring to Ninetales' body.

"Gigavolt Havoc!" Ash yelled, punching the air similar to Pikachu. A powerful yellow blast was made and sent towards Necrozma's path.

"Inferno Overdrive!" Marowak was next, unleashing its own fiery red blast to Necrozma.

"Breakneck Blitz!" Gladion and Silvally followed after them.

"Twinkle Tackle!" A star beam fired from Ninetales' body and joined the other three z-moves. The four attacks combined together and was surrounded by several other yellow beams as a barrier.

They did many spins and then finally hit Dusk Mane Necrozma.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Alola, action was brewing quickly. Hau, Professor Kukui, and Faba found Team Rocket Members trying to jeopardize the Ultra Guardians mission. They were faced with five members of Team Rocket, otherwise known as Matori's Matrix.

"Ah, here you are," Professor Kukui chuckled arrogantly. "We won't let you go through the Ultra Wormhole. Give it up!"

Hau sweatdropped. "B-but professor! You're the one that told me to never underestimate my opponent!" He didn't expect the professor of all people to act cocky.

"Nonsense!" Professor Kukui reassured him. Though, Hau didn't feel reassured at all.

"The boy is right. You shouldn't underestimate us." The bigger man of the bunch spoke.

"We will eliminate them!" One of the male Team Rocket members screeched. He didn't like being made fun of. He was much superior than a mere professor, scientist, and kid.

"Wait!" The burly man put his hand out, stopping him. "I'll do it!" He took out a single poké ball and released his secret weapon.

The three watched on as his pokémon was out of its confinement.

"A-aggron?!" Professor Kukui gasped.

The burly man smirked. "The fun's just beginning!" He revealed a chain necklace. There was a locket with a Mega Stone in the center. Hau recognized it immediately and prepared himself.

Bright aura burst out of the Mega Stone and onto Aggron. Aggron roared triumphantly, transforming into its mega evolution form.

Once it was finished, Aggron showed it's new form with pride.

"Evolution that transcends evolution… Mega Evolution," Faba said, growing more nervous by the second.

"Woah…" Hau was astonished by the form. He had only seen it a handful of times. Even if this was the enemy, Hau couldn't help but marvel the sight.

"Heavy Slam!" Mega Aggron jumped high. Its huge body blocked off the sun's light. A giant gray aura was surrounding its massive body.

Faba's Hypno and Alakazam, along with Professor Kukui's Braviary tensed up. Their eyes bulged out of their sockets.

Mega Aggron began to descend to the ground, targeting the three pokémon to be crushed by its body. Hypno, Alakazam, and Braviary hugged each other and screamed. The attack hit, creating a huge gust of dirt that prevented Professor Kukui and Faba from seeing their pokémon. The gust of wind grew stronger so the three had to shield their eyes.

The outcome was bad.

"Braviary!"

"Hypno! Alakazam!" Professor Kukui and Faba were dumbfounded to see their pokémon knocked out by one hit.

"Unthinkable… in one hit?" Professor Kukui shook his head, disappointed. He and Faba returned their defeated pokémon back in their poké balls.

Hau's eyes had stars in them. "Incredible! That Aggron is so strong and cool!" The two adults jaws dropped by Hau's cheery attitude.

The big man accepted the praise. "I know. I know. It's my secret weapon after all."

"Weapon?" Hau's eyes drooped at that. "Pokémon shouldn't be meant for weapons! They're our friends!"

"My Aggron is very much consenting to its role in Team Rocket. How else would I have Mega Evolved it? It's only capable if the bond between trainer and pokémon is strong. We want to climb up the ranks so we share the same goal. Our ambition is what led to our strong bond!"

Hau wasn't expected such a powerfully speech from the big man. "Still! You people are evil! No doubt using this Mega Evolution as a way to get whatever you want easier."

The man feigned innocence. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. One thing is for certain, I'll be taking out your pokémon first and then you three." He pointed a finger at Hau, then at Professor Kukui, and finally at Faba. "Who knows. Perhaps we'll find this possessed Sun that we encountered yesterday."

"How do you know about that!?" Hau demanded, his attitude changing in a snap.

"Believe it or not, three of our low rank members managed to gather the information after spying on some of his friends at a popular resort. Shockingly, turns out they were right. We witnessed the sight ourselves yesterday," The man explained. They barely got out of there alive yesterday. Though, he wasn't going to mention that part.

"Well, you're not laying a finger on him!" Hau's eyes shifted into flames, showing his igniting fury. This was a new side of Hau. One that made the professor anxious.

"Hehe. Nice to see you amped up for the battle." Professor Kukui rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous smile. "Faba, what's your next pokémon?" Hau listened in to hear who his pokémon will partner up with.

Faba shrugged. "Don't have one."

"Eh!?" Professor Kukui and Hau fell to the ground from hid words. They got back up and began to chew Faba out.

"What do you mean your last one?! What happened to your Claydol? Your Bruxish? Your Alolan Raichu?" Professor Kukui put a finger on Faba's chest.

Faba swatted the finger away and gave the professor a nonchalant gaze. "Wrong dimension Kukui."

"You want me to fight this guys all on my own?" Hau asked, receiving a carefree nod from Faba. Professor Kukui appeared hesitant, like he was hiding something. "Alright!" The dark green haired boy raised his fist up.

"What's with this kid?" Faba hadn't met Hau quite often. A bare minimum of two encounters at least.

"That's Hau for you. Always polite and has a smile on his face." Professor Kukui smiled. He was relieved that Hau was here, otherwise he'd have to reveal his super top secret.

"Is that so? I'll wipe that smile off your face once I'm done with you."

"Before we start, may I have your name so I know who I'm battling against? It's a part of the rules! I'll start! My name is Hau!" He greeted, waving at him with his smile still intact.

"A part of the rules? Either way, I want you to know the name of the person who'll end your career as a pokémon trainer. I'm Gozu, a proud member of Matori Matrix!" Just then, something was beeping on his right shoulder.

"Gozu, how long are you going to play around? Get back here!" A female voice said.

Gozu growled, "You all go without me. I'll come after you once I've finished off these three." His Team Rocket allies did as they were told.

A giant blimp mysteriously appeared from above and dropped four ropes. The remaining members of Matori Matrix grabbed hold of the rope and were lifted up inside the blimp.

"The eclipse heralds the era of the Matori Matrix! If you would oppose us, then crumble into darkness!" Gozu attempted to frighten Hau with his true statement.

It didn't bother him. In fact, his smile had gotten wider. "Sun's taught me that if an enemy's allies leave, then you have to go all out!" Hau grabbed his remaining poké balls and released his Raichu, Flareon, Crabominable, and Tauros. "I've secretly wanted to try an underhanded tactic. Looks like Sun's last resort strategies rubbed off on me."

Hau stood there with a massive grin on his face. His entire pokémon team was with him, outnumbering Gozu's one Mega Evolved pokémon.

"Hey!" Faba was appalled by Hau's actions. "That's not fair-oof!" He was elbowed in the gut by the professor, silencing him.

"Tch." Gozu merely shook his head. "No matter. I can still win! Aggron, Heavy Slam!" If it worked the first time, then it was bound to work a second time.

As Aggron was high in the air, Hau gave his commands. "Noivern, Dark Pulse! Raichu, assist him with Focus Blast! And Flareon, once they're done, use Lava Plume!"

Noivern released a dark beam of energy that had multiple shadowy rings attached to each other. It hit Mega Aggron, delaying its attack for a second. Noivern stumbled back and clutched his head, affected by his own attack.

Raichu was up next. It gained more altitude by flying with his tail. Raichu put its hands out forward and formed a yellow ball of energy. He threw it at Aggron, further keeping it from using Heavy Slam.

Finally, Flareon ran towards Aggron so that he was right below it. Noivern and Raichu backed up. Flareon's body turned into a fiery inferno. He let out a fierce growl and unleashed a huge blast of fire aimed up. Smog and fire surrounded the area around Flareon as he did this.

Eventually, Mega Aggron was forced to land and cancel Heavy Slam. The attacks were too much and it had to recover.

"Aggron, stop resting and finish these weaklings off!" Gozu was furious that a mere boy was giving him a run for his money.

"Let's not stop there! Tauros, apply pressure by using Earthquake! And you, Crabominable, use Power-Up Punch once he's done!"

Tauros stepped up and started to stomp his hooves on the ground violently. The ground rumbled strongly, causing Aggron to lose its footing.

Crabominable followed it up by clashings his fists together. This made his claws glow a bright golden aura. He charged at Mega Aggron and jumped. The wooly crab pokémon slammed its fists on Mega Aggron's head, sending it crashing the ground.

"Amazing! How can a pokémon send a Mega Evolved one to the ground?" Faba wondered out loud.

"My Crabominable has the ability Iron Fist. It increases the power of punching moves. In this case, it's with his Power-Up Punch," Hau informed him. He shifted back to the battle at hand.

"It's time! Primarina!" Hau called his Primarina over. He grinned and presented his z-ring to Gozu. "Mehehe! Let's finish this!" He got into formation. His Primarium Z lit up. "Stronger than the ocean itself! Behold our beautiful symphony! Oceanic Operetta!" He swayed his arms like waves, transferring the z-power to Primarina.

Primarina encased herself with z-power. She lowered her head slightly and smiled. She threw her arms up and sang proudly. Water was beginning to form from under her and rose up. The water was merging into a enormous sphere that was hovering in the sky.

"Woah!" Faba fell on his bottom, stunned by the size of the water. It had to be at least ten times the size of Mega Aggron.

Primarina cooed softly and pushed the water towards Mega Aggron. It travel in a slow pace and eventually made it to Mega Aggron. Gozu had to move out of the way and kept shouting at his pokémon to get away too.

The gigantic water sphere was inches away from Mega Aggron's head. It made its size look like a joke compared to Primarina's z-move.

Hau raised two fingers up. Primarina sang once more, this time louder than ever. The massive amount of water above Mega Aggron exploded.

The explosion temporarily made the area rain. Primarina bowed as the rain fell on her. Mega Aggron downgraded by to its original form and laid there, defeated.

"Aw man!" Hau whined. "I was hoping for more of a challenge! I didn't have much fun battling you!" Professor Kukui and Faba gaped at the boy.

Gozu on the other hand, was beet red out of humiliation. He returned his Aggron, silently promising to teach it a lesson afterwards.

A rope was dropped down next to Gozu. He reluctantly grabbed it and was lifted up into the air.

"I'll get you for this!" Gozu shouted before he was taken inside the helicopter. The helicopter started up and began to move.

"They're finally trying to charge into the Ultra Wormhole!" Professor Kukui said with concern.

"Then I'll stop them! Raichu, use Thunderb-" Out of nowhere, a shiny blur came shooting from the sky and struck the giant Team Rocket Helicopter. The blur pierced through the helicopter and came out from the other side. The helicopter was quickly garnering smoke from the attack.

Hau's confused eyed sook turned into eager ones when he discovered the one behind the attack.

"It's Tapu Koko!" Tapu Koko faced the helicopter and dared the ones inside to come closer. The helicopter turned around and retreated, mainly due to the damaged it sustained.

"Woohoo!" Hau pumped his fist into the air. He was ecstatic that they won the battle against Team Rocket. Tapu Koko glided down to meet the three face to face. "Thanks for the assist Tapu Koko!" Since he was Hala's grandson, Tapu Koko was very found of Hau.

"Yes. It is very much appreciated!" Professor Kukui chimed in. He was glad that his secret identity remained… well, a secret.

"Hmph. I could've done that myself!" Faba puffed out his chest brashly. He was promptly ignored by everyone, turning him gloom.

Tapu Koko directed their attention to the sun. Hau hadn't noticed the sun starting to disappear because he was too engrossed in his battle against Gozu.

"It's starting…"

* * *

Dusk Mane Necrozma's body was glowing orange. It's been like that for about two minutes now. The Ultra Guardians were watching it like a hawk.

"It's absorbing the Z-Power!" Sophocles said out loud.

"Alright!" Ash grinned widely. "Now if it'll just let go of Solgaleo…" The light around Necrozma disappeared. To everyone's shock, it hadn't changed. Dusk Mane Necrozma was still there and it let out an angry screech.

"Oh no. It's the worst possible outcome!" Gladion explained after receiving questionable looks from the team, "Necrozma is still possessing Solgaleo, and it's powered up!"

"What!?" Everyone was stunned by the news. Lunala was looking down at them, wondering what their next move is.

"Ash, what do we do?" Kiawe whispered to him nervously. Ash didn't know what to say.

"Think it didn't get enough to eat?" Mallow asked, remembering that Lillie used Ninetales instead of Marshadow. "We have to think of another plan!"

Ash finally spoke, "Now that it's come to this…" He wanted to tell everyone that he didn't have any ideas, but didn't have the heart to do so. He was kind of like the team leader. He'd be ridiculed and the others would look for a new team leader. Probably either Kiawe or Lillie.

Luckily, at least for Ash, Dusk Mane Necrozma attacked the area with Prismatic Lasers. One stray Prismatic Laser hit right in front of them. The force was so strong that it sent everyone flying.

Kiawe could feel his vision begin to fade. For a moment, he thought that this was it. His mind flashed through various points of his life. From his time at his family's farm, to his first day of Pokémon School. Because of the previous announcement of Sun's true allegiance, his mind focused on a certain day.

His first day at the Pokémon School.

* * *

Kiawe was standing outside of the classroom. He could hear the chatter of other students from inside. Currently, he was talking to Professor Kukui.

"Ah, so you're my new student? Kiawe is it?" Professor Kukui questioned curiously.

"Yessir! My parents decided it was best for me to attend school so I can interact with other people!" Kiawe answered confidently. Professor Kukui was impressed that Kiawe wasn't nervous on his first of school.

"I see. Well, allow me to formally welcome you to my class. I'm Professor Kukui!" He shook his hand, smiling. "My students are quite the social butterflies. I'm sure you'll have no problem fitting in."

"I guess." Kiawe didn't mind the people. He agreed to go to school in order to learn. His schedule didn't involve friends. Only working on the farm and attending school.

"Follow me in. I'll introduce you to the class." Professor Kukui walked inside the classroom with Kiawe in tow.

Kiawe was greeted by five new faces. Two boys and three girls. They stopped talking when he stepped in. They all bore curious faces, wondering who he was.

"Alola students! Today, we have a new student joining our class. Say hello to Kiawe!" Kiawe closed his eyes and presented himself confidently. His composure slightly faltered when he didn't hear them greet him.

He opened his eyes and saw that they were whispering amongst themselves. No doubt, talking about him. He turned to the professor, who had a sheepish smile on his face.

"No need to be shy! Say, what don't you all introduce yourselves to Kiawe?" Professor Kukui suggested. The students were silent until someone spoke up first.

"I'm Sophocles. Nice to… erm meet you?" Sophocles didn't sound too sure of himself. Kiawe nodded, entering the name in his brain.

The other boy in the class went next. "The name's Sun! Just like the one in the sky! Hehe!" Sun chuckled, his cheeks dusting pink. Kiawe's eyebrow rose when his eye caught an egg sitting on Sun's desk. It further rose at the little green bow on the center of the egg.

The girls in the class weren't as eager as Sun.

"Come on! You guys aren't chicken, are ya?" Sun pressured them to talk. "I know green is but you two?"

The green haired girl, which Kiawe assumed was _'green'_ angrily stood up. "I am not a chicken! I'll show you!" Her eyes went to Kiawe. "I'm Mallow and my family runs Aina's Kitchen!"

 _'She's a bit hot headed.'_ Kiawe kept that thought to himself. Mallow smirked triumphantly at Sun.

"See? And don't call me green, you big dumb star!" She snapped, taking her seat.

Sun rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Go on water girl. I thought we got rid of your shyness," He urged the blue haired girl to go next.

From Kiawe's perspective, Lana appeared to be timid. His parents had told him not to judge someone by appearance, which is what he decided to do.

"I-I… I'm… L-l…" Her face was as red as a tomato. She lowered her head and played with her fingers.

"Erm… you can go last." Sun sweatdropped. His eyes were fixated on the blonde haired girl. "Go on. You can't be scared of both people and pokémon."

Kiawe released a chuckle. It was amusing that someone was afraid of pokémon.

"Sun!" The blonde haired girl flushed out of embarrassment. Mallow and Sophocles snickered at this. "My name is Lillie. My mother… um, that doesn't really matter right now. Please don't laugh at me. It's embarrassing," She pleaded.

Kiawe waved it off, assuring her that he wouldn't do it again. Lillie sighed in relief and shot Sun a light glare. Sun pulled his egg in closer and glared right back. Lillie flinched and avoided his glare.

All the attention was on the blue haired girl. This only made her cower in her seat more. Sun was fed up with this and got out of his seat. He stood next to Lana's desk and placed his hands on his hips.

"Hurry it up!" He smacked the back of her head. This made everyone but Kiawe gasp. Kiawe soon got his answer when Lana propped herself up and slugged Sun on the shoulder.

"Hey!" The two got into a scuffle. Dust clouded the two, making it hard to see them. Mallow, Lillie, and Sophocles ran around the class, panicking. Professor Kukui hurried over to the two fighting students and told them repeatedly to stop.

Kiawe stood there, awestruck as the classroom went crazy in the matter of seconds. His hope of the class being a normal one was sent down the drain.

The fight concluded when the cloud of dust disappeared. Lana had Sun on his stomach and she pinned his arm behind his back. He adopted a pair of swirly eyes on his face.

"Don't ever do that again." Lana's cold eyes set on Kiawe, making him shiver. "I'm Lana. And the same applies to you too."

"Noted..." Kiawe gulped. Lana left the unconscious Sun on the floor and returned to her seat.

"Lana! You can't keep beating up Sun!" Professor Kukui scolded her.

"But he started it!" Lana defended herself, knowing that she was right. Kukui was at a loss of words.

"Sun!" Lillie ran towards the fallen Sun and picked up his head. "Speak to me!"

"Ugh…" Sun extracted his hand up and touched Lillie hat. "Tell Mallow... she still owes me two free meals… bleh." His tongue rolled out of his mouth and two X marks replaced his eyes.

"Idiot." Mallow shook her head. Out of all the things he could've said, it had to be that.

"Don't worry! I got you Sun!" Sophocles pushed Lillie out of the way and pulled out his new invention. It was two poké ball look alikes that had a wire in between them. "Clear!" It pushed them into Sun's chest.

Exclamation marks appeared beside Lillie and Mallow when electricity could be heard coming from the invention. Sun's body jolted up and he awoke with a gasp.

"Uwah! I've been brought back to life!" His eyes landed on Lana once more. "Bad mistake! Now it's time for me to get my revenge!" He pounced on the unsuspected Lana, taking her and her chair down.

The cloud of dust returned once again, and so did the panic amongst the students and the professor.

Kiawe sighed, "This is going to be more difficult than I thought." He spotted an open desk and was preparing to sit there. He placed his bag on the desk and was inches from sitting on the seat until-

"STOP!" Kiawe jumped, startled by the voices. Everyone had stopped what they were doing. Lillie, Mallow, and Sophocles stopped running around in circles. Sun and Lana stopped fighting, though Lana found herself wrapped around a bear hug from Sun. She tried to wiggle out but Sun's gripped turned out to be stronger than she expected. Lana whimpered and slowly hid her reddening face in Sun's chest. Luckily no one, even Sun himself, noticed this. They were all too focused on Kiawe.

"What?" Kiawe asked innocently.

"You can't sit there! That seat holds royalty! Prestige! Honor! That is the seat of the one and only… Ilima!" Sun exclaimed, unconsciously setting his chin on top of Lana's head.

"Yeah! Only Ilima gets to sit there!" Mallow agreed. "Even if he doesn't go here anymore…"

"He's the best student out there! Graduating with the best grades and achievements! Rumor has it that his presence alone can get Komala to open its eyes!" Sophocles fawned over him, placing his hand on his forehead.

"So where am I supposed to sit then?" Kiawe crossed his arms. Everyone stared down at the floor. "I'm not sitting on the floor! Professor!" He called for the professor's input.

"I have something that'll solve everyone's problem!" Professor Kukui grinned. "First." He pried a disappointed Lana off of Sun and put her in her seat. "Second." He headed over to Sophocles next and confiscated his invention, muttering something about it being too dangerous. "And third." He went to the closet and grabbed a spare desk for Kiawe.

Once everything was set up, the chaos had died down.

"Wonderful! It seems like everyone is now well-behaved." He said that last part with his gaze on Sun and Lana. "Because we have a new student today, I believe today should be getting to know one another! So with that in mind, everyone, including myself, will tell us one thing about themselves to share to the class. I'll start."

Professor Kukui adjusted his glasses and stood in front of his class with superiority. "I was once a pokémon trainer feared upon many! In fact, I was on an impressive streak myself!" He boasted, loving that his students were amazed by his words.

"Wow!"

"Awesome!"

"I wanna be like the professor someday!"

"Yes. Yes. I know." Professor Kukui stepped to the side. "Now who's next?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Me!" Sun raised his hand eagerly. He hurriedly went to the front of the classroom with his egg. "This is a pokémon egg and my soon to be best friend! My father found this little fella outside of his workplace and gave it to me to take care of it. He said it was so I can get ready for when I get to be old enough to do the Island Challenge!" He spun around with his egg, giggling. Everyone smiled at this. Well except for Kiawe.

Kiawe turned serious. "Wait. You're going to take the Island Challenge?" He got a nod in response. "I see. I see." His competitive side got the best of him. If Sun was going to be serious about being a trial-goer than he'd make a decent opponent to battle. Not as good as him though.

"My turn!" Lana shoved Sun out of the way. "Listen new guy! I'm an expert at fishing. I even managed to catch a Kyogre last year!"

"Impossible!" Kiawe shouted. Mallow, Sophocles, and Lillie giggled at his cluelessness.

"Stop feeding Kiawe lies!" Sun shoved Lana back, but with greater force. "She's never caught a Kyogre. That's just one of her wild stories. Don't believe her if she says she caught a shiny Gyarados either! Lies is all that girl is!"

"Why you…" Lana was furious that Sun ruined her trick. The two glared at each other and prepared to fight again.

"Why are you two so aggressive today? Make a good impression on our new student." Kukui got in between them, stopping the fight. Sun and Lana started to make faces at each other, unknowingly making the professor lose his mind.

"THAT IS IT!" Sun and Lana crashed to the floor and hugged each other as an agitated Professor Kukui towered over them. He was steaming red out of anger.

"Ah! Please don't be m-mad professor! Lana and I are best friends now! See?" Sun further pressed Lana's face into his chest. He hid his face on Lana's shoulder, secretly being afraid of the professor when he's angry.

"Y-yes!" Lana's voice was muffled but was audible enough for the professor to hear. The two both had teary faces and begged Kukui to forgive them.

"If I see you two misbehave one more time…" Lana and Sun huddled closer together, frightened. "Mallow. You're up."

Mallow chuckled awkwardly and headed to the front. Sun and Lana went back to their seat glumly.

 _'Wow. This professor doesn't mess around!'_ Kiawe shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He made a mental note not to make Kukui mad.

"There's not much to tell about me. Hm…" Mallow thought about what she was going to say. "I know how to make a lot of dishes. Tell you what new guy, you can come over to the restaurant and your first dish will be free! Think of it as a token of appreciation since we'll be seeing each other more often."

"Thanks!" Kiawe beamed. Free food was always a treat.

"It's my go!" Sophocles sprinted to the front with something in his hands. "I have a brand new invention that I'd like to share! I call it the…" The device in his hands appeared to be a robotic Togedemaru. "Poké Pall 2000! In this case, it's a Togedemaru. It acts like a pokémon, talks like a pokémon, and even battles like one! I'll demonstrate! Use Discharge!"

Before Kiawe could realize Sophocles' mistake, Togedemaru used Discharge and shot electricity all over the classroom, including the people in it! Everyone was out cold.

* * *

Kiawe's eyes fluttered open. He could still remember what happened that day. He was distant around them after they woke up but during lunch, Sun managed to convince everyone to sit beside Kiawe, whether he liked it or not. They had gotten along pretty well during lunch and they hit it off from there.

That day taught him that there was never a dull moment in Melemele Island. Especially whenever Sun was around. Sun somehow manages to find trouble wherever he goes most of the time.

Though, Kiawe only battled him a limited amount of times. Sun didn't get his pokémon until his Island Challenge started. He rarely let his Rowlet battle after he hatched, stating that he was still a baby. Sun initially only stayed at Melemele Island for week to train and then challenge Hala's trial. That didn't go so well so he stayed another week before he finally beat Hala. Sun had two practice battles against Kiawe, making him feel a bit unsatisfied later on when Sun had gotten more stronger. Since he wasn't at Melemele Island, it meant no battling Sun.

Their most formal battle came when Sun returned to Alola. He beat Kiawe fairly. That was the main reason why he didn't know about Froslass' Cursed Body ability. If only if he had gotten more experience with his team, Kiawe was sure that he would've beaten him.

He had nearly forgotten about the frequent fights that Sun and Lana got into. One time, it had gotten really bad and an Officer Jenny had to step in. Lana won nearly every one of these.

 _'Maybe that's why I didn't expect that unexpected crush. Lana's usually quiet, but when it comes to Sun, those two always seem to be at each other's throats. Thinks about the past makes me feel worse about the whole Sun not betraying us deal. He was the one to bring me into the group, then we kicked him out.'_

Kiawe slowly picked himself up and rubbed his head. "Is everyone alright?"

"Sure…" Sophocles groaned.

"Yeah…" Ash replied uneasily.

"We're fine," Gladion said for both him and Lillie.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ash's head snapped back and saw that Mallow was the one behind the cries of pain. He rushed over to her side and crouched down.

"Mallow? What happened!?" His heart sank further when Mallow looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I landed on my foot badly! I-I think I made it worse!" Her body curled into a ball and she clutched her foot painfully.

"Sun isn't doing so hot either!" Lillie told them. She checked on his heartbeat and felt it beating more faintly.

"Gah! What do we do?" Ash was beginning to freak out. There was nothing the could do. The plan didn't work and only resulted in further injuring Mallow and Sun's conditions. He was starting to believe that there was no getting out of this without making a sacrifice.

Dusk Mane Necrozma roared and made a beeline for them, only to be tackled by Lunala.

"We still got Lunala with us!" Gladion called out.

Ash got the message and whipped out his other three poké balls. "And these guys!" He released Rowlet, Lycanroc, and Torracat before going back to consoling Mallow.

"And Turtonator!" Kiawe released his Turtonator too.

Sophocles joined in. "Charjabug as well!"

"Umbreon! Lycanroc!" Gladion took out his own Lycanroc and Umbreon. The pokémon joined in with Pikachu, Marowak, Tsareena, Togedemaru, Snowy and Silvally to form a stronger team. Ninetales, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe kept to themselves along with Marshadow.

"It's not enough! It'll take out everyone one by one!" Lillie was reminded of her experience battling Necrozma. It wouldn't make a difference.

"We can't give up! Please, Lillie!" Ash attempted to persuade her to join them. "Flygon is the one with the medic bag. Heal the injured pokémon with it!"

"But…" Lillie was hesitant whether to listen to her teammates or not. Their efforts were futile.

"Lillie." Gladion was the one to speak. "If you won't do this for us then do it for me. Or Sun. Whoever it might be, just know that we need you." His brotherly taking did the trick. Lillie took out the many poké and Beast Balls in her possession.

"Okay! Come on out everyone!" Gladion, Ash, Sophocles, and Kiawe had to back up in order for there to be room for everyone.

Blacephalon, Xurkitree, Stakataka, Pyroar, Aerodactyl, Electabuzz, Sandslash, Froslass, and Decidueye came out tiredly. They all slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.

Lillie walked over to them with Full Heals and berries. While she was doing that, Ash got an incoming call from Lusamine.

"Everyone! Can you hear us?" A hologram appeared, revealing Lusamine, Wicke, and Professor Burnet.

"Yes! We can hear you!"

"What's going on over there right now? Is my Lillie alright?!" This was her first question. She wanted the relief of knowing that her daughter was okay.

"She's doing a-okay Miss Lusamine!" Ash tilted his arm so that the adults could see Lillie working on bringing the fallen pokémon back to full health. "Guess what? We even have Sun back!" He angled the hologram so that the unconscious Sun came into view too.

"Oh thank goodness!" Lusamine fell to her knees and had her hands over her heart. The heavy weight was lifted from her shoulder from hearing the good news. She genuinely smiled for the first time in days.

"Also, we're in the world where Poipole lives. Necrozma is really the Radiant One after all! It lost its light."

"As the president predicted," Wicke confirmed Lusamine's suspicions while she was temporarily celebrating. "It matches what was on the mural perfectly."

Gladion came over to Ash's side to chat with the adults. "We tried to use our Z-Power to restore Necrozma's power." He glanced back at Lillie. "But it failed. It wouldn't let go of Solgaleo."

Professor Burnet snapped her fingers.

"That must mean we need a lot more people and pokémon's power!" She concluded.

"A lot more?"

Burnet continued, "We figured out some things about the legend after deciphering the mural. Long ago, when the Radiant One lost its light, it was Solgaleo, Lunala, and the people and pokémon who shared their light with it," She recounted the story to them.

"The people and pokémon?" Something clicked in Ash's head. "I see… so we need everyone's power, not just z-moves. But how do we send our power?"

"I got it!" Professor Burnet once again came up with a solution. "Tapu Koko is probably sending z-power through the Ultra Wormhole to the Radiant One."

Lusamine got back up and smiled. "So we just have to do what it's doing?" Receiving a thumbs up, Lusamine mimicked the gesture that Tapu Koko was doing. That was by raising her arms up and forming a pose with her hands that an Island Kahuna would make during the Manalo Festival.

"Got it! Let's all try!" Ash helped out Mallow by grabbing her arms and lifting them up. He made the pose with her hands and held his position. This made the two blush slightly at the contact. Tsareena rolled her eyes and did the same too.

"Everyone in Alola… all of us here!" Kiawe, Turtonator, and Marowak got into position.

"The pokémon…" Sophocles and his Togedemaru were doing it too.

"And the people will work together to save the Radiant One!" Gladion was doing his part. All that was left was Lillie.

Lillie finished up healing everyone back to normal. Most of them stood up and stretched, while others continued laying down. Decidueye got up and was greeting back Glaceon standing on her hind legs and posing as if she was a bodybuilder of some sorts. She was taunting Decidueye and bragging that she was one of the survivors. Vanilluxe giggled and joined Glaceon in making fun of Decidueye.

Naturally, Decidueye didn't take this too well. Using his regained strength whacked both of their faces with an arrow. They both face faulted to the ground. Decidueye smirked and proudly took his place as team leader again.

Ninetales, Sandslash, and Froslass watched on, amused at their antics.

The Ultra Beasts, Pyroar, Electabuzz, and Aerodactyl stared at each other with newfound respect after their teamwork against Dusk Mane Necrozma. Blacephalon was getting praised by the surviving group of Snowy, Altaria, Ninetales, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe for sacrificing itself for them. Luckily, Blacephalon had just enough time in its poké ball to rebuild its head.

Lillie noticed what the others were doing and called out to the pokémon. "Everyone! We must do what the others are doing! We have to share our power!" One by one, the pokémon and Ultra Beasts began to copy the pose, except for Vanilluxe and Stakataka.

Vanilluxe burst into icicle tears when he realized that he couldn't do it due to the lack of limbs. Somehow, someway, Stakataka sat down and raised its heavy limbs up. This made Vanilluxe cry even more now that it was left out.

Ninetales saw this and sighed. She flipped Vanilluxe for so that he was floating upside down. She smacked the two icicles on the bottom, reminding Vanilluxe of it.

Vanilluxe smiled and twirled around, elated that there was a way for him to give power. Ninetales huffed and went back to her own pose.

Lillie crouched down so that she could meet Sun's level. Even if he was unconscious, Lillie believed that he could help out too. Every person and pokémon counted.

 _'We can share.'_ Lillie brought him near her lap and lifted his arms up for him. She did the pose for him, similar to what Ash and Mallow were doing. She closed her eyes and concentrated on sending out her power.

"I'll have the Island Kahunas assist us as well." Lusamine said, still in the call.

Hau, Professor Kukui, and Faba were about to leave Ten Carat Hill until the professor's device started to ring. He brought the two closer so they could see what was going on.

"Grandad!" Hau smiled when he saw his grandad on the screen.

"People of Alola, please listen to me! Alola's Guardian Deity, Tapu Koko is currently sending power to the Ultra Wormhole." Hala said seriously.

"Tapu Koko can do that?" Hau looked up and started at the guardian deity in the sky, giving its power and sending it to the Ultra Wormhole.

"According to the ancient legends of this land, it was the Radiant One who filled the world with a mysterious light, and created the Alola Region!"

Hau nodded along with his grandad's words. He had heard the story countless times when he was younger. Hala read to him the story before he went to bed, stating that he needed to know the story if he ever wanted to follow in his footsteps.

"The very same Radiant One has expended all its light and turned pitch black. If we wish to save the Radiant One, the power of everyone in Alola is needed. Send it power with me, along with the prayers of gratitude that have been traditionally passed on during the Manalo Festival." Hala raised his arms and made a diamond-like shape with index fingers and thumbs. "This is what will save Solgaleo, Lunala, and the Radiant One!"

Hau's eyes sparkled at the yellow energy coming out from Hala's hands and going in the air.

"Cool! I want to do that too!" Hau copied the pose with more excitement. Yellow power was starting to extract itself from Hau's hands. "Neato! I secretly had powers this entire time!"

"Right…" Professor Kukui played along with Hau's innocence. "We'll do it too!" He and his Incineroar continued the trend, along with a reluctant Faba.

Hau's Noivern, Flareon, Crabominable, Tauros, Raichu, and Primarina followed their trainer's example and gave their power to the Ultra Wormhole.

Hala's voice could still be heard from Kukui's device on the ground. "Give the Radiant One all of Alola's power… give the Radiant One your power!"

The Ultra Guardians smiled when power was coming from the Ultra Wormhole and surrounded Dusk Mane Necrozma. It stopped attacking Lunala, which the moone pokémon used the opening to get away.

Poipole noticed Naganadel emerging from the nest and flew over to it. Naganadel encourage the Poipoles by following along with what everyone was doing.

More and more energy was being sent to Dusk Mane Necrozma. Even Lunala was supporting the cause. Necrozma's body was glowing brightly. The pieces of black crystal removed itself from Solgaleo body, finally freeing it. Necrozma body part was quickly rebuilding itself.

"We did it! It let go!" Ash cheered. "Now all that's left is for Necrozma to regain its light!"

Nebby was back in control of it's own body. Similar to Sun, it felt extremely weakened and collapsed on the ground. Lunala rushed down to assist Solgaleo. Unfortunately, Necrozma fully recovered and went in to attack the two while they were distracted.

The Ultra Guardians gasped as they weren't fast enough to react.

That's when its claw was intercepted by none other than Marshadow. Marshadow didn't participate in giving its power, but it decided to act now as a way to repay for its uncooperative behavior.

Marshadow blocked the strike and struck its body to the ground. It didn't give Necrozma time to recuperate. It began to throw several punches and kicks rapidly. The Ultra Guardians had trouble keeping up with its movements. Marshadow ended it with one final knee to the face, knocking it back and away from Lunala and Solgaleo.

A wide beam came from above and engulfed Necrozma. It was temporarily dazed but it shook it off within seconds. Necrozma brushed Marshadow off and trekked forward to Lunala and Solgaleo.

That was a mistake on its part. Marshadow turned into its shadow form and hid in the ground. It secretly crawled over to Necrozma and revealed itself by popping up from the ground underneath it with multiple shadows as support. Marshadow returned by Lillie's side and kicked her shin.

Decidueye gladly took Marshadow's place, wanting payback because it was taken out by Necrozma. He took a page out of Marshadow's book and disappeared into the shadows. Decidueye came up from above and hit Necrozma with a ghostly dark aura powered wing.

Lunala observed the scene and tossed its z-crystal into Gladion's hands.

"A Z-Crystal?" Gladion examined the purple z-crystal in his hands while Ash and Mallow were busy bringing Solgaleo back to full health. "It wants me to use a z-move." A plan formed in his head. He remembered that Ash was in possession of Solgaleo's z-crystal. Combining them will surely do the trick to stop Necrozma's rampage.

"But." Gladion glanced at Lillie and the z-power ring on her wrist. "Lillie! We need you to start this off and Ash and I will finish it! Decidueye won't last long, no matter how strong he is!"

Lillie shook her head, gently kicking Marshadow to the side. "I told you I can't! Why can't you respect my wishes big brother!?" She shouted, her temper rising.

Gladion's did as well. "This is silly! Sun would do it in a heartbeat! Why won't you? Tell me."

"No!"

"Tell me!"

"Stop! I said no!" Lillie was reaching her mental limit. Her body was shaking. Her eyes were slowly tearing up again. Lillie's breathing increased as well as her heartbeat. She felt like she was about to have a panic attack.

"I SAID TELL ME!" Gladion screamed, causing the Ultra Guardians to flinch at his harsh tone.

"IT'S BECAUSE I MAY HAVE KILLED ONE OF SUN'S POKÉMON USING A Z-MOVE!" Lillie screamed at the top of her lungs. Gladion hitched his breath, beyond shocked from the news. His head was getting dizzy. There was no way what Lillie said was true. But seeing Lillie breaking down for the umpteenth time told him that she wasn't Lillie.

"N-no…" Gladion was too stunned to detect that incoming Prismatic Laser coming his way. It landed right in front of him, causing Gladion to fly and land on the ground hard.

"G-gladion!" Ash called out to the boy. He wasn't focused either. Lillie's words kept replaying in his head. The mere thought of pokémon dying made his heart clench, especially if it was because of a human.

"Guys! Buy us time!" Kiawe ordered the pokémon in the area. Blacephalon pounded its fists together, amped for a round two. Together with the other Ultra Beasts and pokémon, they distracted Necrozma while the Ultra Guardians could gather their bearings.

"I'm fine!" Gladion swatted Ash's hand away and picked himself up. "Lillie…" Gladion ran over to his crying sister and embraced her fiercely. "You did not kill a pokémon. You did not kill a pokémon." He repeated his words, allowing Lillie to cry on his shoulder. He cocked his head and glared at his teammates.

"I never knew Sun had another pokémon. Which one of you was keeping this a secret?" His voice sent shivers down everyone's spine. He could very well beat them all up if he wanted to.

Nervously, Sophocles spoke. "I-I never knew of this…"

"M-me neither," Kiawe gulped.

"I just met him last week," Ash weakly defended himself. All eyes were on the injured Mallow as she was the only one to not give a response.

"S-sorry. I didn't know too." Mallow said quietly.

Lillie tilted her head sideways so that she could speak. "N-no one knows. Sun has promised us to keep it under wrap and to never speak of it ever again. I-I'm lucky that h-he forgave m-me." Lillie sniffled, shedding more tears. She sunk in to Gladion's hold, finding comfort from being close to him.

"Who's we?" Lillie stayed silent. "Lillie, do I need to repeat myself?"

She gave in, "Th-three people know. Me, Sun, and… Hau."

Gladion felt his blood boiling. Out of everyone that he knew, it had to be the one he was already in bad terms with. Hau, the friendly, innocent trainer kept a dark secret from him. So did Sun but he had an excuse as it was his pokémon. Gladion was planning on teaching Hau a lesson because of earlier, now he had a bigger reason to beat the living daylights out of him.

"D-don't be mad at Hau. He wasn't there. S-sun only told him because he trusted him. Also because Hau would b-be wondering where his pokémon was." Lillie covered for Hau, despite the latter being angry at her.

"What pokémon was it?" Ash shielded his face when Gladion whipped his head back at his direction "S-sorry! I was just curious!"

"Idiot." Gladion patted Lillie's back. "If you're comfortable with it, do you mind telling us what happened. The pokémon combined should handle Necrozma. Not a single one is knocked out yet."

True to his word, no one was taken out by Necrozma yet. They used teamwork to help each other out by a saving one another. They made sure to not seriously hurt it as it still was the Radiant One.

Lillie was silent for about ten seconds. She gave her response with a simple head nod.

"O-okay. It… it started when Sun was out looking for new pokémon…"

* * *

One year ago, Lillie and Sun were out searching for pokémon. Sun had successfully completed his second trial against Island Kahuna Olivia. They lingered around the island until Hau finished his

"What pokémon do you want to get?" Lillie asked Sun. They were nearing some tall grass. It was a perfect place to find wild pokémon.

"Dunno. I'm just looking around." Sun turned his head left and right, trying to spot a wild pokémon. "Ugh. This is taking too long! Kyu! Help me out here!" He dug out his Ultra Ball from his bag and released his pokémon.

A shadowy black ghost-like figure came out. It was relatively small with beady eyes that could make any wild pokémon freeze in their tracks. It made weird screeches.

"Hehe. Kyu is h-here…" Lillie's voice betrayed her. Honestly, she was terrified of the pokémon. There wasn't any information on the pokémon to begin with. She had told Sun time and time again to get it registered in the pokédex but he refuses, saying that it liked keeping its identity a secret. There was also the weird stick that it always carried. It only used it when fighting. So far, Lillie believed that it was a ghost-type pokémon because of its ghostly moves. Though, it had Wood Hammer, which is a grass-type move. Kyu didn't look like a grass-type, eliminating the possibility from her list.

"Chik! Chik!" Kyu made the raspy screeching sounds that it usually made, making Lillie more uncomfortable.

"It's good to see ya too, buddy! Say, mind helping me look for some pokémon?" Kyu smiled and flew forward. Sun laughed and began to chase after it. "Kyu, this isn't tag! We're on a mission to catch pokémon!"

Even though she was terrified of Kyu, Lillie was happy that Sun was so fond of it. It had to he the runner-up in terms of his favorite pokémon. Dartrix beat it only because he came out of his poké ball more often.

"Tee-hee! Get back here!" Sun finally was able to catch his pokémon and tackled it to the ground. The two went rolling in a random direction, giggling heartily.

Sun was laying on the grass, panting slightly. Kyu was on his chest jumping up and down, seemingly wanting to play some more.

"Pika! Pika!" A distinct cry was heard right beside them. Sun noticed that they were right next to the tall grass. There, a wild male Pikachu was staring at them curiously.

"Aw! It's a Pikachu!" Sun got up, dropping Kyu to the ground. He gushed over the mouse pokémon. Lillie caught up to them. "Lillie! Check out this cute Pikachu!" The male Pikachu was happily accepting Sun's petting.

"Aww! Look at its ears!" Lillie cooed. The two continued to play with the adorable Pikachu, forgetting about Kyu.

A dark aura was emitting from Kyu. It let out several angry sounds, jealous of the attention that Pikachu was receiving. What ticked it off even more was that Sun and Lillie didn't even hear it.

"A cute pokémon is exactly what I need! Vulpix is pretty cute, but she doesn't play with me a lot. Eevee is cute too, but she's mad about me right now for not giving her any treats. This Pikachu here is pretty playful and wouldn't get mad for not getting any snacks, would you?" Sun scratched the bottom of Pikachu's chin, making him giggle.

"Chik! Chik!" Kyu was getting fed up with being ignored. It was hurt when Sun didn't call it cute too. Its mood was somewhat lifted when Sun looked back at it.

"Kyu, help me catch this Pikachu! He says he wants a strong trainer!" Pikachu was flexing his arms, telling Sun that he wanted someone with a lot of power to own him.

Kyu huffed and hesitantly floated towards Sun.

Sun's eyes wandered over to Lillie, seeing her fidgeting. "Eh? What's up?"

"It just that… no, never mind. It's something silly." Lillie dismissed it, only making Sun worry about her.

"Come on Lillie~" Sun scooted next to her and laid his head on her shoulder. "You can tell me anything~" He purred. Lillie's body quivered from the contact.

"Ah!" Lillie back up, flushing brightly. "I-It's just that… I kind of wanted a Pikachu too." She admitted, not looking at him in the eye.

She expected Sun to be appalled, but it was actually the opposite.

"You do!? You can catch this Pikachu instead. It'll be your first pokémon and I want you to get the one you really want! Your first experience with taking care of a pokémon should be a good one. You don't mind, do ya?" He asked the wild Pikachu.

Pikachu shook his head, but he still flexed his muscles. It appeared that Pikachu desired a strong trainer out of Lillie too.

"Oh, well you'll be Lillie's first pokémon. I don't know how she can exactly prove it to ya…" Sun thought about the situation. He snapped his fingers seconds later, figuring out a solution. "I know! Here!" Sun unclipped his z-power ring and gave it to a confused Lillie.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Lillie inquired, inspecting the gold z-power ring. Inside was the Ghostium Z. She frowned, remembering that it was Acerola who gave this to him as a gift. The two had gotten really close lately. She was unsure if she missed something but she was too shy to ask Sun about it.

"Use it of course!" This made her gasp. "Then you can catch Pikachu and show it that you know a z-move. You're allowed to do it. Remember? You had a battle with-"

Pikachu yawned, getting bored of the conversation.

"Oh no! He can run away in any second! Here!" Sun tossed her an Ultra Ball. "You know that pose, right? It's like this." Sun crouched down a little and stuck his hands out forward. He bent his hands down, appearing like some sort of a creature. He moved his body left and right along with rising up. Once his hands were close to his face, he pushed his hands out forward again and slightly curled his fingers.

"Erm… okay." Lillie was used to seeing Sun perform the pose and was confident enough that she could imitate it. "Kyu, will you help me out?"

"Chik!" Kyu blatantly refused, not wanting Pikachu as a permanent companion. He was going to steal all the attention from Kyu.

"Oi! Help Lillie out or I'll cut snacks off your menu too!" Sun never disciplined Kyu before. Knowing this, Kyu's eyes went to the ground, wanting to cry. It toughed it out and grudgingly flew in front of Lillie.

Pikachu straightened up, ready to see what they had to offer.

"Am I supposed to say a cool phrase too?" Sun always said something before doing a z-move. "Maybe along the lines of, 'Prepare to stay awake forever! You'll never want to sleep again after our Never Ending Nightmare!' Hm… it does sound alright but-"

"Just do it!" Sun snapped her out of it. Although, it was partly due to jealousy because Lillie came up with a more cool phrase than him.

"R-right!" Lillie took a deep breath. She performed the pose recently and gave off z-power to Kyu. "Prepare to stay awake forever! You'll never want to sleep again after out Never Ending Nightmare!" Lillie waited for Kyu to attack but it never did. This also perplexed Sun.

"Maybe do it again!" Sun hollered from the sidelines. Lillie did it again, feeding Kyu more z-power with the same results as before. "One more time?"

Lillie tried it a third time. This time, something did happen. Something that scarred her life.

The z-power was sent to Kyu. Kyu finally reacted to it and spread an eerie darkness in the area. It was supposed to be only for the opponent, but it managed to catch Sun and Lillie.

"Woah…" Sun huddled up closer to Lillie. He didn't like the changed in atmosphere at all. Several hands came up from the ground and they never stopped coming. Kyu was flying up and the z-power surrounding it was gradually increasing, no doubt because Lillie had gave it too much.

The hands went mainly after Pikachu. Sun and Lillie narrowly avoided one of the hands. However, many soon followed and it managed to capture the two in its clutches. The Pikachu was more unlucky since it had about twenty arms burying him under its attack.

Kyu let out a pained screech and the dark purple aura around it exploded, along with Kyu. The hands blew up too, creating a purple vortex that reached high up in the sky.

Pikachu was clearly out of it. The overly powered up z-move did its job. The cuts and bruises on Pikachu were visible. The attack inflicted more damage on him than it was supposed to do.

"L-lillie?" Sun was frightened when he saw Lillie's with tears in her eyes. "L-lillie…" He had protected Lillie under the pile of arms by hugging her whole body, thus covering her from the attack. Sun limped backwards and fell on the ground.

"Sun!" Lillie checked on Sun's condition. He was conscious, but it was apparent that he suffered some form of injury from protecting her from Kyu's z-move. She gazed over at Pikachu and found him in a much worse state.

"Oh no!" Lillie raced over to the mouse pokémon and carried him in her arms. Pikachu was out cold. He was breathing, which was a huge wave of relief for Lillie.

"K-kyu? Where are you?" Sun was using a tree as support so that he could stand. "Kyu? B-buddy?" Kyu was nowhere in sight, causing Sun to shed a few tears.

"Chik! Chik!" Unbeknownst to Sun and Lillie, Kyu was stuck under a tree that fell because of its z-move. It tried gaining their attention, but its voice was weakened. Too much power led to Kyu damaging itself more than it thought it would.

Kyu watched as Sun was calling out its name over and over. It wanted to desperately run up to him and snuggle into his arms. It tried it hardest to escape the tree but to no avail.

"Sun, we have to go to the pokémon center or Pikachu will get worse!" Lillie begged Sun to accompany her. "You're hurt too!"

"No… but Kyu…"

"Kyu is somewhere around here. We can come back and look for it later! It will show up eventually." Lillie just barely managed to convince Sun to go with her.

Sun didn't utter a word. He leaned on Lillie for support. Lillie carried the injured Pikachu with one arm and wrapped her other arm around Sun's body to help him walk. He put his arm around her neck and the two walked away from the area.

The last thing Kyu saw was Sun and Lillie walking away with the Pikachu with them instead of it.

Its poké ball was left on the ground, forgotten just like Kyu.

* * *

"W-we never found it. We had to stay a week in the hospital for both Sun and Pikachu. Th-then we spent a week looking for Kyu. All we found was i-its poké ball. I-I thought Sun would hate me after that b-but we kept being friends. I was the who took his friend from him. All because I-I was selfish and wanted a Pikachu." She finished, wiping the remaining tears from her face.

The area was silent, except for the sound of battling from the pokémon. Ash had an indifferent expression on his face.

"What happened to the Pikachu?" He dared to ask.

"He got sent back to the wild." Lillie responded sadly. "I think Sun didn't want anything to do with it anymore. He stopped using the Ghostium Z. Froslass and Decidueye haven't used it because of the incident." She held the Ghostium Z in her hand as she said this.

"I get it." Gladion came up with a conclusion "Marshadow is part Ghost. Doing a z-move with it reminds you of your first time using the Ghostium Z. You don't want to hurt another pokémon." Lillie nodded her head, ashamed.

Gladion patted her shoulder. "This Kyu didn't die Lillie. It simply ran away scared without you or Sun. A z-move can't kill the user."

"I guess you have a point." Lillie mumbled unhappily. "But why hasn't Kyu come back?" She unintentionally gave him her best impression of puppy dog eyes.

"Well." Gladion put a hand behind his head. "Maybe it left Akala Island looking for you two. I'm sure Kyu is safe and sound somewhere thinking about you and Sun." Gladion's words were getting to Lillie. She was feeling a bit better from his reassurance.

"Was it really a pokémon not in the pokédex?" Sophocles questioned.

"I-I think so." She stuttered. "I never had the chance to find out. I respected Kyu's wishes to hide its identity. Sun used it in his battle against Olivia. Maybe she might know."

"Sun lost a pokémon. That's gotta be real rough." Ash felt bad for Sun. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing his pokémon and not knowing where they went.

"That's another thing Sun has hid from me." Mallow whispered to herself quietly so that no one else could hear her.

"Kyu going missing isn't your fault. It was disobedient when it didn't want to do the z-move with you. It garnered up all that z-power and it couldn't control all that power." Gladion clasped his hands over Lillie's. "Marshadow isn't like that. It wouldn't try to harm us after everything that you said it was. We're all after one goal and that's converting Necrozma back into the Radiant One. You're smart Lillie, you won't make the same mistake twice. We're here to support you."Gladion offered her a kind smile.

Lillie looked at her other friends and saw them all smiling too.

 _'I'm really lucky to have such kind friends. They're here for me whenever I need it.'_ Her eyes fell on Marshadow.

In a way, Marshadow reminded Lillie of Kyu. Both were Ghost type pokemon and were really adamant in hiding their identity. Each had their differences too. Marshadow was more on the serious, quiet side while Kyu was playful and very energetic. Marshadow just wanted a friend out of Sun. It would be cruel of her to keep it from participating in giving Necrozma its light back.

"Do you promise that nothing bad will happen?" Lillie asked Marshadow seriously.

Marshadow contemplated on the question and shrugged. Seeing her reaction, it changed its mind and gave Lillie a thumbs up.

"Big brother?"

Gladion clenched his hands over hers. "There's nothing to fear anymore. You conquered your fear if pokémon and faced the cause of it all. This is no different from that." His actions warmed Lillie's heart. She let go of his hand and exhaled deeply.

"It's our turn then, Marshadow." Marshadow was pleased that Lillie changed her mind. It got in place while Lillie warmed up.

Kiawe sprinted ahead so that he was close to the fighting pokémon. "Everyone! We're ready! Get back here and bring anyone who got knocked out by Necrozma!"

The pokémon and Ultra Beasts retreated and returned to their respective trainers. The Ultra Beasts were in charge of the unconscious, which included Togedemaru, Rowlet, Vanilluxe, and Glaceon.

Ash was genuinely surprised that two of Sun's pokémon didn't make it from the encounter. However, judging by the satisfied look on Decidueye's face told him that it wasn't entirely their fault.

'Geez. Decidueye doesn't take being taunted so well.' Ash broke out of his thoughts when Gladion spoke to him.

"Ash! Can you pull of its z-move?" Ash understood what Gladion was getting at. He wanted him and Solgaleo to perform a z-move.

"I'll try! We gotta be set after Lillie is finished!" The two and Mallow were carefully paying close attention to Lillie while Kiawe and Sophocles were tending to the injured pokémon.

"Your opponent is me again, Necrozma!" Lillie grabbed its attention. She clashed her arms together, making a bright spark come from the z-power ring. Lillie did the same exact pose as one would do with the Ghostium Z. Instead of z-power bursting out from within the z-power ring, a shadow resembling Marshadow slithered from underneath Lillie and made its way to Marshadow.

The shadow was consumed by Marshadow. Marshadow's body lit up brightly and somehow changed its appearance. Its head, wrists, and collar turned into a forest green color. Its eyes flared up. The top portion of its eyes was similar to that of a lighting bolt. A light yellow aura was seen lighting up around its form.

Lillie didn't let this distract her. She continued on with the z-move. "Keep your eyes open for a flurry of punches! Seven may just be your unlucky number! Soul-Stealing Seven Star Strike!" She had no idea what she was saying but it felt right regardless.

Marshadow did an impressive front flip, leaving behind a trail of dark green smoke. It landed flawlessly and punched the air seven times. With each punch, there was a light blue orb fired from its fists. The seven light blue orbs hit Necrozma and they stayed there, forming a strange symbol.

Marshadow did another front flip, this time going in for a kick. It kicked the middle of the symbol with precise aim and shockingly went through Necrozma's body as if it was thin air. Marshadow skidded across the ground, trails of green fire following it. A second later, Necrozma body was caught in a greenish blueish explosion of fire. It covered its whole massive body.

Necrozma let out a pained screech, giving Gladion and Ash their chance while it was in pain.

"Solgaleo! Lend me your power again!" Ash requested. He and Gladion stood side by side. "Alright! Let's do it together!"

Lillie got out of their way and made her way beside Sun's body. She observed the scene in front of her

"Let's give it our all, Solgaleo!" Ash and Gladion z-power rings illuminated the dark area.

"Mystic eye of the moon illuminates the demonic realm of darkness!" Gladion could feel the strong power coming from the z-power ring. It made him smirk for a split second before he went back to business.

Ash's body was surrounded by a fiery aura. "Sunshine Smasher!"

Meanwhile, Gladion had a dark purple aura radiate off his body. "Moonlight Blaster!"

Solgaleo cloaks itself with orange-yellow energy, spins itself around, shooting off a powerful beam

Lunala then flies into it air and activates its Full Moon phase to unleash six blue beams that fired off and combined into one large beam.

The two beams twirled around each other and finally struck Necrozma. Necrozma glowed yellow and the brightness nearly blinded the Ultra Guardians.

A huge gust of smoke cloud Necrozma's form. Several colored lights came out from the thick smoke. All the Ultra Guardians could do was watch and wait to see what happens.

The prism that was on Necrozma emerged from the smoke. With that, Necrozma's body parts also escaped the smoke. The only difference was that it was gold instead of black. The body parts connected together, creating a different type of creature than before.

A colossal, shining armored dragon was flying right in front of their very eyes. Most of its body is made of pure light energy. It had two pairs of clawed wings, a long, spiked tail, and a head resembling a shining star with several long horns on the sides and top. Its face is armored and has multicolored heterochromic eyes; the left eye is primarily red, while the right is mainly blue. Its large clawed arms and small legs have swapped places, respectively becoming its feet and parts of its wings.

This was the Radiant One. The legend was real.

The Ultra Guardians jaws were wide open. Never will they ever forget this sight. The sight of an Alola Legend that created the region. It was a shame that Sun and Rotom missed it, as the former deserved to see why Necrozma had possessed him while the latter could've got pictures of the Radiant One for its collection. As for Lana, she stayed back home on her own account.

Ash remembered that Lusamine was still on the line and communicated with her. "Miss Lusamine! We saved Solgaleo and the Radiant One returned to its original form too!" Ash said excitedly.

The Radiant One rose further up in the sky. Its body was shining as bright as the sun. The Ultra Guardians, Lunala, Solgaleo, Naganadel, and the Poipoles observed its every move. The Radiant One extracted a long bright yellow beam up in the sky.

The beam exploded and its energy spreaded all throughout the world. The grass grew rather quickly and blossomed a variety of flowers. They dark night sky returned to its natural sky blue color and even formed white, fluffy clouds. The sunlight shining across the land was icing to the cake.

"Awesome!" Ash had stars in his eyes, grinning madly.

"There's so much green!" Mallow beamed, having taking her seat on Flygon to further avoid putting more strain on her injured foot.

"So much light too!" Sophocles chimed in.

"Now this world will be alright!" Kiawe's chest was growing warmer, proud that he was a factor in restoring Poipoles world.

"I wish you could see this." Lillie was slightly disheartened that Sun and Lana couldn't witness this moment with them. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it to the fullest.

Ash turned to face his Poipole. "Aren't you glad, Poipole?" Poipole twirled its body, showing its enthusiasm.

"Everyone! This is bad!" Lusamine's voice ran from Ash's wrist. "The Ultra Wormhole has suddenly started to close!"

"What!?" Ash exclaimed in total shock. "We got to hurry back!" He, along with everyone else boarded their ride pokémon. The pokémon and Ultra Beasts were returned into their poké balls. The Ultra Beasts were quickly promised that they would be taken back to their own world afterwards.

Poipole made a quiet noise. Ash scratched its head, not knowing what it was saying.

"Poipole is saying that it's staying here." Naganadel translated for him.

"Huh!?" Ash's eyes were filled with many emotions. One of them being hurt, while another being betrayal.

Naganadel further translated its words. "And that it will join forces with us to protect this land."

Ash's bottom lip began to tremble. His eyes were turning watery. He tilted his head down, masking his tears with his hat covering his eyes. Pikachu stared at him with sympathy. He was also upset at the saddening news.

Ash was on the verge of crying, but he stayed strong and held it in. He smiled weakly.

"That's for the best." He lifted his head up so that he could look at Poipole straight in the eye. His eyes were glossy. "Your h-home has returned to normal after all…"

Pikachu held out his paw, reaching for Poipole. Poipole connected their hands together.

"Ash…" Kiawe had a frown on his face. He wasn't usually one to be the bearer of bad news. "There's no time."

"I know…" Ash sighed. He gave Poipole one final smile. "So long, Poipole. Let's meet again sometime." He tapped his finger on Poipole's necklace. "T-take care of yourself."

Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, and Gladion were waving their hands, bidding the Ultra Beast farewell. One member wasn't included in this.

"Snowy… push harder!" Lillie grunted, trying to get Sun up her Altaria. Snowy was pushing him up with her nose. The two couldn't seem to get him aboard. Then, a sudden force fully lifted him up and placed him on the seat.

"Marshadow?" Lillie cocked her head sideways, wondering what will happen next in Marshadow's life. "W-would you like to come with me-I mean us!" She corrected herself. Marshadow inclined its head, wishing to return to Alola. It had bad memories in this world.

"Good!" Lillie clapped her hands but soon realized the predicament at hand with Ash and Poipole. "Poor Ash. I know exactly how you feel…"

Poipole's eyes were leaking tears. It didn't want it to be this way. But as Ash said, it was for the best. It looked on as Ash and Pikachu had their backs facing it.

"L-let's go." Ash forced those words to come out. The strain in his voice made it evident on how affected he was by the departure.

Nebby roared and took off to the sky with Lunala in tow. The Ultra Guardians followed it without another word.

Pikachu looked back to see Poipole one last time. Its tears were only dripping down faster. Ash couldn't bear looking at Poipole while they were leaving. His heart was twisting wildly. His lips were getting sore from his deep frowning.

They were ten seconds in from their departure and Poipoles cried could be heard. Ash peered down and saw a drawing of him and Pikachu with a lightning bolt next to them. In the middle was Poipole, waving at them with its arms.

"Like, like, love…" Ash recalled the meaning of the lightning bolt. He finally let the waterworks spill out. "I like, like, love you too!" He and the Ultra Guardians gave it another farewell wave before going heading in the Ultra Wormhole, leaving Poipoles World… for now.

Ash chuckled sadly and wiped his tears with his gloves. It didn't seem like they were stopping any time soon.

"Don't worry Ash." Lillie and her Altaria flew closer to Ash and his Garchomp. "Sometimes you have to say goodbye, even if you don't want to. It'll hurt at first, but you'll learn to move on knowing that they're happy exactly where they are. In maybe, just maybe, they'll come back and you'll start off exactly where you left off." She held Sun body close to lap, smiling warmly.

Ash got who she was referring to and shared a smile with her. "Thanks. I really needed that." The two were unaware of the jealous look that they were receiving from Mallow.

They made it to the other side of the wormhole. The feeling of being home while saving an entire world made this day much better. Below them, Lusamine, Professor Burnet, Faba, Wicke, Professor Kukui, and Hau were waiting for them to arrive. When they did, they all shared a high five at their first successful mission in a while.

Energy exited through the wormhole too. It made a silhouette of the Radiant One for all the people of Alola to enjoy. The image lingered there for a full minute before disintegrating into thin air.

The Ultra Guardians landed and were greeted by many compliments and praises from the adults and Hau.

Lusamine rushed up to her daughter and brought her in for a monster hug. "Lillie, dear! You worried me sick leaving off on your own!" She coddled Lillie, unintentionally making her embarrassed.

"M-mother!" Lillie somehow escape her voice grip. "It was all fine! I can handle myself!"

"I know you can dear, but I still worry. Call it a motherly thing if you will. You won't understand until you're older and have a child." She patted Lillie's head. "Speaking of the husband…"

"Mother!"

"There he is!" Lusamine sprinted over to Sun and hugged him fiercely. "You made me worry too, Sunny boy!"

"Mother! Not so rough! He isn't awake yet and his injuries need to be checked on!" Lillie badgered her mother for being so careless.

"Sorry." Lusamine apologized cheekily. She focused her attention on the unconscious Sun and placed a hand on his head. "And you young sir need to come with us to the Aether Paradise. Only the best doctors for my daughter's future-"

"Enough, mother." Gladion stepped in, covering for a red faced Lillie. "I think I speak for all of us when I say we need to hang back and relax for a while."

"Yeah!" The rest of the Ultra Guardians agreed with his statement.

Hau shyly propped beside Lusamine. "May I see him, Miss Lusamine?" Lusamine gave him room to reunite with his friend. "Hehe! I knew you'd be just fine! After all, Gladion, Ash and his friends are strong. I just wished I could've been there to-"

 **Pow!**

A heavy punch connected to Hau's cheek, knocking him out in an instant. Gasps filled the area as Gladion was the one responsible.

"I don't hold back my words, Hau. You had that coming for tricking me and holding back information!" Gladion had a tick mask appear on his forehead when he caught a smile on Hau's face even when he was out cold. "Tch. Guess I'll wipe that smile off your lips with my fists!" His fist was stopped by a frantic Professor Kukui.

"Hey! What happened to everyone needing to hang out and relax? Give Hau a break. If it wasn't for him, Team Rocket would have interfered in you mission." Professor Kukui bended the truth a bit. Of course, even without Hau he would've taken care of the enemies.

"Fine." Gladion gave in. "But I'm this close from giving him what he deserves." He walked away from the professor and headed over to Ash's direction.

Sun and Hau were placed inside the helicopter that Lusamine used to get to where she was now. Lusamine noticed Mallow limping more than usual and asked her what was up.

"I landed on my foot badly. I think I might've made it worse." Mallow explained to the Aether Foundation President with a forlorn expression.

"Scoot in." Lusamine gestured to the empty seat in the helicopter. Mallow sighed and got in with some help from Flygon.

"Can I go to?" Ash pleaded, secretly wanting to go now that Mallow was going.

"And me!" Sophocles chuckled.

"Me too!" Kiawe's eyes were full of amusement.

"We can't have you all fit inside." Lusamine wiggled her finger at them. "You'll have to go on your ride pokémon. Faba will sacrifice his seat take Flygon instead."

"I will?" Faba blinked, not understanding what was going on.

"Yes you will!" Wicke smacked the back of his head. Faba mumbled something under his breath, eliciting another smack because Wicke heard him.

"We'll need to send the other Ultra Beasts back to their home too." Lillie piped in. Then it hit her. "Where did Marshadow go?" The adults were confused while the Ultra Guardians searched around for Marshadow. No one knew where it went. It must have disappeared without them noticing.

"Oh well…" Lillie said, disappointed. She wanted to thank it again for the help. Without Marshadow, she wasn't sure if things would've turned out the same.

"You still have its z-crystal." Ash pointed out.

"I forgot about that!" Lillie slipped the z-crystal out of the z-power ring. "Sun wouldn't want to see this Marshadium Z because Marshadow technically did still possess him. I'll keep it with me for now." She stored the z-crystal in her pocket.

"Marshadium Z?" Ash inquired.

"It is Marshadow's own z-crystal. Fitting name, right?" With that, Lillie silently got back on her Altaria without another word. The others followed suit and the helicopter was the first to take off. Then Sophocles, then Kiawe, then Gladion and Lillie.

Ash stuck around for a few seconds longer. He stared at the place in the sky where the Ultra Wormhole formerly was. He mind drifted to everything that occurred in there. Each having a permanent home in his memory.

"You know what Pikachu?" Ash petted his Pikachu's ears. "Alola is really becoming home to me." Pikachu nuzzled his cheeks against Ash's face.

His stared at the sun. His eyes gleaming brightly. "Manalo...we live together!"

They saved Nebby, Lunala, the Radiant One, and Poipoles world. They did it as a team, as the Ultra Guardians.

Now the only thing left to do was to save Sun mentally.

* * *

 ** _Second Author's Note: I'm positive that you all can figure out what Sun's missing pokémon is. That wraps up the arc, next chapter will be an aftermath/original chapter. After that, seventy nine of the anime will take place. Episode ninety eight will most likely be cut but I'm not sure yet. Lana actually getting the Eevee is a downer, but it'll actually help with an upcoming arc that I have planned so she'll keep the Eevee. Ash now has two open spots available in his team. One spot is almost settled as a permanent addition to his team, which I most definitely will commit to it. Nothing else left to say so, stay tuned!_**


	26. Future Champion

_**Author's Note: Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing with the Ash and Mallow pairing. At the start of this story, I said that I didn't intend for this to have romance. Now that it does, I'm at a bit of a loss. It's easy for me to do Sun x Lillie because I'm a fan of the ship. I haven't even remotely thought about Ash x Mallow until people said it in the reviews. With that said, I'm open to any suggestions to build their relationships. I tried doing it this chapter but I couldn't think of anything to fit it. Instead I just dropped random hints. This chapter is shorter than my past few. It's simple and gets to the point, like a filler of sorts. There's some game references but I cut some of it as it was going too overboard. The chapter title sucks and I didn't know what else to call it. I hope to get one more chapter before the end of the year so lookout for that. As usual, enjoy the chapter.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon… you know the drill by now.**

* * *

It was the following day. After the recent events involving Necrozma, all seemed good for the beautiful sunny region of Alola. Sun stayed in the Aether Paradise's medical clinic so they could get him treated on until he woke up. Gladion stayed there too, stating that he was going to make sure nothing attacked Sun while he was resting. With the International Force and Team Skull targeted Sun, it was for the best.

The Ultra Guardians and Hau were there for the rest of the day until it was time to go. Lillie stayed there for a while longer but her mother managed to get her to leave so the doctors could get to work.

It was a school day. Even after saving a world, Professor Kukui wanted them to go to school as education never misses a day… except on the weekends.

Ash Ketchum and Pikachu arrived to the classroom, a bit down. Usually Poipole was with them being as energetic as ever. Without the Ultra Beast, they weren't very awake. Not surprisingly, Ash was the last to arrive.

He scanned the classroom, finding that Lana was missing.

 _'She must still be sore about Mallow shouting out her secret.'_ Ash understood why Lana wasn't here. She had to be too embarrassed to even show her face to school.

"Alola!" Ash greeted Mallow, Kiawe, Lillie, and Sophocles.

"Alola!" They greeted back, sharing his level of enthusiasm. Mallow waved at him and motioned him over to the empty desk beside her.

Ash grinned and raced over to the desk. He set his backpack down and sat in the seat. Pikachu and the pokémon went to the back of the classroom to converse.

Ash's eyes wandered over Lillie's direction. His eyebrow rose when he spotted the walkie-talkie on her desk. Her gaze was fixated on the device.

"Miss Lusamine gave it to her," Mallow whispered to Ash. "It was the only way to get her to leave. Basically it's so Lillie would be informed if Sun woke up while she's in school."

Ash wasn't surprised by the explanation. By now, it would take a complete idiot to not figure out that Lillie and Sun were best friends. It was understandable why she was being this way.

One thing caught his eye. Sun's pokémon were no longer with her, but the z-power ring remained on her wrist. Also, the Icium Z was in it.

 _'Maybe she's not ready to give it up?'_ Ash guessed in his head. Regardless, he didn't call her out on it. There was no need to make a big fuss about it.

"Right…" Ash knew talking about Lana would make Mallow upset. So he thought of another topic to talk about. "Has anyone told Moon that Sun is back?" He asked his friends.

It was Sophocles who responded, "Hau told me that he was going to yesterday. She's probably already there right now as we speak." Lillie's deep frown went unnoticed.

"Is she still living in La… erm I mean at… you know… her house?" Kiawe nervously corrected himself, glancing at Mallow. A question mark appeared beside her, showing her confusion towards Kiawe's words.

It occurred to him that Mallow was the only one who didn't know about Sun and Moon living at Lana's house. He refrained from mentioning Lana's name to not ruin Mallow's mood.

"Yeah…" Sophocles coughed. An awkward silence dawned upon them. Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles looked away and found interest in the floor. Mallow was more confused than ever.

"Lillie!" Lusamine's voice came from Lillie's device, drawing a gasp from her.

"Yes!?"

"I love you~" Lusamine cooed in a sing song voice. Lillie's expression fell and she turned off the device in the middle of Lusamine's giggling.

A few minutes passed and Ash grew bored.

"Where's the professor? He should be here by now." He voiced his thoughts out loud.

"Maybe he's running an errand? Professor Kukui is a very important man," Mallow said.

"Maybe…" Ash watched what everyone else was doing. Lillie was reading her book. Kiawe was hyping up his Marowak. Mallow was drawing a picture of a poké ball on her cast. Lastly, Sophocles was busying himself on his old gaming device.

"Watcha got there?" Ash asked, walking over to the short boy.

"Oh!" Sophocles showed him his gaming device. "It's called the 3ds! I left my Switch at home. I wanted to revisit a game from a while ago. Guess what it's about?" Sophocles was getting overexcited, amusing Ash.

"I dunno… maybe a game about go-cart racing?" Ash guessed. He had heard about the game before. Honestly, he wasn't that big on gaming, only knowing a limited amount of games. That was only because of Sophocles.

"Nope!" His grin stretched wider. "They made a game about Sun! Isn't that cool?"

Ash pursed his lips. "He's even got his own game?" Sun's popularity never ceased to amaze him.

"Totally! It's called Ultra Sun! They never disappoint in making these games based on becoming champion." Sophocles' smirk was directed to Ash sinisterly. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you Ash?"

A series of _'oohs'_ followed. Ash's face heated up, embarrassed in front of his friends.

"Come on… that was uncalled for!" Ash whined.

"I was only kidding!" Sophocles snickered. He then pulled out six pictures, each having a person in them. "Anyway, they based these games off of real champions! There's Champion Red, who's really well known. Don't tell Sun I told you this but I think that he worships Red."

"Hehe. That's nice to know, I guess." Ash could understand looking up to someone as a role model. But worshipping? He hoped that Sophocles was wrong.

Right after, Professor Kukui walked in the classroom. A chill went through everyone's spine when they saw his appearance.

Professor Kukui had his lab coat buttoned up. His neck and the lower part of his face was covered by the collar. His expression was one of carelessness. A gloomy aura radiated off his body.

"Sup..." Professor Kukui drawled out.

"Eh!?" Everyone cried out in shock.

"D-don't tell me it has happened again!?" Sophocles squeaked.

"Nah. I just have a cold." Professor Kukui sniffled a strand of mucus coming from his nose. The entire class fell out of their seats at that. Having a sick Professor Kukui was never good. Minus Ash, they had experienced this only three times in their school lives. Ash was going to learn why this was bad.

"What's this?" Professor Kukui squinted his eye and spotted Sophocles' 3ds on his desk. "No gaming devices in my class!" He confiscated his 3ds, causing Sophocles to develop a teary face.

"Hm? Looks like it's that old Ultra Sun game. And you're having a battle against Pokémon Professor Kukui for the title of Alola Champion? It would be a shame if I were to… lose intentionally and waste all your Full Restores!" He cackled like a mad man.

"No!" Sophocles burst into tears. Professor Kukui sneered and tucked the 3ds in his pocket.

"Do we have anymore issues?"

"No!" Kiawe, Mallow, and Ash replied in unison.

"Good." His eyes hovered over Lana's empty desk. "No Lana today." His eyes then went to Lillie, who was tinkering with her device.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Professor Kukui marched over to her with authority. He held out his hand.

"You know the rules. Give it here." Lillie's eyes widened and she hugged the device close to her chest. She shook her head firmly. "I'm not going to ask twice. Do I need to call your mother?" He rubbed running mucus from his nostrils.

"I'm right here." Hearing Lusamine's voice shocked the sick professor. "Something you need? I got Burnet here if you prefer speaking with her." Kukui tensed up at that.

"Mother, Professor Kukui is sick!"

"Ah…" A pause followed. "You know the drill."

"Right!" Lillie got up from her seat and stood in front of the professor. Kiawe and Sophocles followed her lead.

"What are they doing?" Ash asked Mallow, seeing that she wasn't participating. That was mainly due to her injuries.

Mallow had a small frown on her face. "The first time Professor Kukui got sick, he was very scary! He made Sun cry when he took his Rowlet egg from him. Miss Lusamine heard about it and was close to snapping at him. She went so far as to coming to school and forcefully taking the egg back from Kukui and returned it to Sun. She gave us a run down on what to do if he gets sick again."

Ash nodded along to what Mallow had to say. He could never imagine Professor Kukui being mean. The part when Lusamine came just for Sun made him smile. She was a very busy woman. Taking the time out of her day to help him was a big deal.

Though, something was wrong with it.

"Couldn't his mother or father have done it?" Ash forced the lump in his throat down when he included Sun's father. He remembered how upset she was when she found out that he wasn't alive anymore.

As expected, Mallow flinched. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply before speaking. "Sun's father… he was a busy man. Kinda like Lusamine, but she had other people to fill in for her. Mr. Elio didn't so he couldn't be there most of the time."

"What about his mother?" Mallow lowered her head, appearing conflicted with what she was going to say.

"When Sun comes back, refrain from mentioning his mother." Her pupils were as small as pinpoints. For some reason, she looked afraid.

"Why? Oh man! Did she die too?" Ash was feeling extra guilty if this was the case. Fortunately, it wasn't.

"No. Erm… just trust me on this one Ash. Sun's family is complicated. More complicated than Lillie's."

 _'More complicated than Lillie's? How can a busy mother and grumpy brother be beaten?'_ Of course there was more to Lillie's family than that, though Sun's family would have to be more messed. How that was possible, Ash didn't know.

"I guess I'll take your word. But why-"

 **Whack!**

 **Double Whack!**

 **Triple Whack!**

Ash didn't see what exactly happened. Professor Kukui was on the ground, apparently being knocked out.

"Sweet dreams, Professor Kukui!" Lillie grabbed a blanket from out of nowhere and draped it over the professor's sleeping body.

"I'll take this back." Sophocles had a victorious grin on his face after he got his 3ds back. He stored it back inside his backpack so it wouldn't get confiscated again.

"Nice work guys!" Kiawe praised the two. "But no one here can teach us. We can't spend a school day doing nothing."

"None of us can be teacher either," Lillie added in. Memories of her, Kiawe, Mallow, and Lana trying to be teacher flooded her mind.

"I'm not too sure about battling." Sophocles had an image of Lillie and Ash battling in his head.

"Hehe…" Lillie did too and shyly looked away.

"What can we do?" Ash wondered out loud. The five students were silent for a minute, thinking about what they could do that was educational.

"Well…" Lillie quietly grabbed her belongings and Snowy. "I have to go use the restroom!" She bolted out the door with no intention of coming back. Not that the others knew her true motive.

Ten minutes passed and they figured out that she wasn't coming back.

"I got to go outside to blow my nose!" Sophocles hid Togedemaru in his backpack and scurried out the classroon. Five minutes followed and it was clear that he wasn't coming back either.

"With Kukui out, I guess there's not much else to do," Kiawe sighed and grabbed his bag. "Missing a day of school is okay. After what we went through, I suppose our break can be extended for a little longer. I'm going to go to the farm and complete some of my deliveries. Later." Kiawe waved at them and left the classroom. Only Ash and Mallow remained.

 _'What should I say?'_ Ash's palms were getting sweaty. He didn't know why and passed it off as Alola's warm climate doing that. He glanced at Mallow for a hot second before looking away. She and Tsareena were ready to depart too.

"H-hey Mallow!" Ash blurted out, gaining her attention.

"Hm?" Mallow cocked her head and flashed a small smile.

"Uh…" Ash was snapped back to reality when Pikachu slapped his head with his tail. "Ow! Oh! D-do you have any plans for today."

Mallow scratched her head in confusion because of Ash's behavior. "No. Dad usually handles the restaurant when I'm at school. With my condition and all, I think he can continue handling it by himself."

Ash's face lit up. "Then would you like to-"

"But Lillie did ask me to do something before school started." Ash slammed his head against the desk and groaned. "Huh? Is something the matter?"

"Everything's just dandy!" Ash said sarcastically. Mallow didn't pick up on the sarcasm and continued.

"Lillie asked me to head on over to Sun's house to pick up some stuff so he'll have it when he wakes up." She got up and headed out the doorway. "I'll see ya later!"

"Wait!" Ash shot up from his seat. He stopped in front of Mallow, preventing her to move forward. "I just remembered that his house was raided by Team Skull before! That's why he stayed over at Lana's...oh shoot!" He clasped his hand over his mouth but it was already too late.

Mallow's eyes glistened. "Sun went to Lana for help? They've been excluding me longer than I thought…" Tsareena's eyes sharpened at Ash, irritated that he made her sad.

"Aw man. I can never catch a break," Ash huffed, going back to his previous statement. "Long story short, Sun's house is dangerous! You're going to need a strong trial-goer to accompany you safely!" He puffed out his chest expectantly.

"I guess you're right." Mallow got rid of her sadness and it was replaced with pondering eyes. "Maybe Gladion isn't too busy now that Lillie will be there soon."

"Gak!" Ash felt a mysterious force punch his stomach.

"Or Hau if he's not too busy."

"Oof!" The same force punched his cheek.

"Heck, maybe I can have an Officer Jenny escort me there."

"Gah!" He was uppercutted and collapsed to the ground. He wasn't physically hurt, rather his pride was officially knocked down a peg. More so because it was from Mallow.

He shook his head and did a kip up. Ash forced a smile on his face as he talked. "Or maybe they're right in front of you!"

 _'I thought that was obvious enough.'_ Ash was further embarrassed when Mallow gave him a confused expression.

"You?" Mallow tried to hold back her laughter but failed to do so.

"The world is so cruel." Ash was sitting down on the floor with his back facing Mallow. A dark purple aura surrounded his depressed state.

"I was just kidding! Come on, Ash! You know you'd be my first choice!" She giggled, patting the top of Ash's hat.

"R-right! I knew that!" Ash hastily got back up and rubbed his burning cheeks. He regained his composure and allowed Pikachu to hop on his shoulder.

With that, Ash and Mallow exited the classroom and left behind the sick professor.

* * *

"Mehehe~"

"Dear, maybe you should-"

"Shut it! We're making up lost time!"

Currently, Moon was holding Sun's hand while her other free hand was poking his cheek. After Hau came over and told her that Sun was at the Aether Paradise, she zipped there in record time. She thought about telling Lana but held off against it.

"He's trying to recover." Lusamine was standing at the doorway. She was worried that Moon might jeopardize Sun's recovery with physical contact.

"So am I! I'm getting my daily dose of Sunny time!" Moon beamed with many hearts bubbling around her.

"Shouldn't you be at school with the Ultra Guardians?"

"Shouldn't you be doing your work?" Moon fired back. "I don't even go to that stupid school. I am very intelligent all on my own!"

"Right…" Lusamine didn't quite believe her. She found it futile to argue with Moon any further and left it at it.

The sound of running footsteps alerted her. Lusamine whipped her head back and saw that it was none other than Lillie.

"Hold it. You forget to give your mother a hug!" Lusamine held her by the collar and wrapped her arms around Lillie. She cooed lovingly, ignoring Lillie's attempts to break free.

"Mother…" Lillie couldn't match with her strength and gave in.

"And this is for leaving school!" She lightly smacked her head, earning a small yelp from her daughter. "And this is for me hitting you." Lusamine kissed the spot where she hit Lillie and set her down.

"You're very strange mother. I like it." Lillie and Lusamine shared a giggle. That giggle halted when Lillie witnessed the sight of Moon inside the room with Sun.

 _'Oh dear.'_ Lusamine distanced herself from Lillie, suddenly feeling unsafe. In truth, she hadn't expected Lillie to come so early. That's why she let Moon visit. Now that they were both at the same place at the same time, there was bound to be some tension.

Her eyes then went to the sleeping Sun. A small smile graced her lips, glad that he was no longer under anyone's influence. Her smile turned into a frown when she remembered what Moon said a few days ago.

Sun didn't trust her. Those words shocked Lusamine beyond end. Whenever Sun was around when he was younger, she was there giving him anything that he desired. An image of her patting a younger Sun's head with Lillie pouting in the background flashed through her mind.

In all fairness, she was willing to admit that she paid more attention to Sun than Lillie for a while. Her reasoning? She'll never tell anyone. It was far darker than one would think it is. Nevertheless, she treasured Sun's company with lots of coddling.

 _ **'Unlike her…'**_ Lusamine's eyes darkened for a split second.

"Moon!" Lillie's voice broke her out of her angry demeanor. Lusamine couldn't help but smile because of Lillie trudging towards Moon with a jealous face.

Moon didn't pay her to mind and continued holding Sun's hand and poked his cheek obnoxiously.

"Sunny~ Wake up! Don't leave a pure maiden like myself all by her lonesome." Moon rubbed her head against Sun's neck. "She needs her cuddles!"

"Hey! Stop that!" Lillie pulled Moon away by the shoulders, eliciting a sad whimper from her.

"Noooo!" Moon developed a teary face as she was separated from her friend. She pushed Lillie back and the two had a stare down.

Wicke came into view and leaned against the doorway with a small bag of popcorn. She offered Lusamine some, but she politely refused.

"Your thoughts, Miss President?" Wicke watched the two girls getting ready to have a huge argument.

Lusamine observed the intensity in their eyes. "Their intentions are all pure and heartfelt. I say the decision will be all up to Sun whether he likes it or not."

Wicke agreed with Lusamine, pitying Sun for the decision that he has to make in the future.

* * *

Mallow and Ash were taking a nice and easy stroll through the island. Their destination was Sun's house.

 _'Poipole…'_ Ash stared at the spot where the Ultra Beast usually flew right beside him. It was weird not having it around. Its missing presence was also affecting a certain electric-type.

Pikachu actually missed getting shoved into one of Poipole's hug. He looked disappointed while they were walking.

Mallow noticed all of this going on and frowned. The whole Necrozma event had really made an impact to everyone's lives. Some good, while the rest was bad.

She wasn't the one to point fingers but everything was going peaceful until Sun showed up. He caused nothing but trouble, which truthfully wasn't anything new.

Walking down the familiar path brought memories into her head. This was the same path she took whenever she visited Sun's house. She knew the area by heart.

 _'I'm such an idiot.'_ Mallow mentally scolded herself and everything that she had done to Sun. She was the one at fault after firmly believing it was the other way around for a long time.

If she were in his shoes, she'd probably be having a breakdown right about now. Sun was strong. Harsh insults wouldn't be enough to bring him down unless if they were personal. Mallow found that out the hard way when she made fun of his dad.

Facing the past was harder for her than anyone else. She always envisioned the future to be where everyone remained friends with no conflict whatsoever. Obviously, that didn't happened. Mallow didn't want to look back at the past as its consequences have already been seen.

 _'Though, I wouldn't have met Ash if I continued living in the past.'_ Mallow briefly gazed over at Ash. She unconsciously smiled. Things were going rough for the group until Ash showed up and took the class by storm. It was a nice change of pace after the whole 'betrayal' by Sun.

What freaked her out the most was how similar Ash was to Sun. They were almost identically wearing the same clothes except for the hat! Mallow was convinced the first time that she met Ash that he was a fan of Sun. That proved to be false when he told her that his mom picked out the outfit for him.

There were other minor similarities. One was that they were both born in Kanto. Another was their love for battling. Then it was their ability to interact with others smoothly and their caring behavior towards pokémon of all kind. They were even runner-ups in becoming champion, that being Kanto and Kalos respectively. She didn't count Sun's run for Alola Champion because he never got a shot during the Final Trial.

 _'Thinking about Sun is making my head spin. Maybe visiting his house wasn't a good idea after all.'_ Mallow was starting to regret her decision to help Lillie. It was for a good cause sure, but was it worth it? She doubted that Sun would ever forgive her. She wouldn't blame him if he did.

 _'I'm an awful friend. I broke ties with my two childhood friends and it was all my fault.'_ Mallow forced back the incoming tears from forming in her eyes. Lana and Sun were the only two who actually knew her inside and out. She wasn't nearly as close with Kiawe and Sophocles back then compared to Sun and Lana. The three exchanged secrets with each other and swore to never reveal it to anyone, no matter what circumstance.

Mallow messed up with Sun and Lana. She feared that she would do the same with Kiawe, Sophocles, and Ash. Lillie… she wasn't even sure where their relationship stood anymore. At one point, they hated each other's guts.

"Hellooo! Earth to Mallow!" Ash was waving his hand in front of her face. "We're here and there's a problem!"

"Huh?" Mallow blinked, taking in her surroundings. Sure enough, they were in front of Sun's house. Problem was that Sun's pokémon were guarding the door. To add to that, Sophocles was there, begging the pokémon to let him in.

"What's going on Sophocles?" Ash questioned as soon as a defeated Sophocles sulked his way to them.

"Well, I was resuming my usual check ups on Sun's house but these guys won't let me through!" Sophocles explained. Togedemaru puffed out her cheeks angrily and glared at the pokémon.

"Is Decidueye here?" Ash didn't spot the arrow quill pokémon anywhere. "Oh that's right! He's with Sun." It occurred to him last second that Decidueye was with Sun like the loyal starter pokémon he was.

"Just tell them why you're here," Mallow said. "Here, I'll do it." She took one step forward before the pokémon began to lash out. Mallow jumped back, a bit frightened.

"No offense Mallow, but they kinda hate you," Sophocles reminded her awkwardly. He looked up at the top of Sun's house and stared at the broken window. "Why are you two here anyway?"

Ash spoke for them. "Lillie asked Mallow to come here and get something. I'm here to protect Mallow from any outside threats!" He declared proudly.

Sophocles eyed him strangely. "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"They upped the security around the island. Apparently word spread about Team Skull and their returning leader. They're being kept under watch for now but I doubt they'll do anything extreme."

"That's good news." Ash still wanted to stick around anyway. No one seemed to mind. He noticed Sophocles' eyes on the broken window.

 _'Right. Rotom broke that window.'_ Ash turned somber at the thought of Rotom. Professor Kukui was sick, which further delayed repairing Rotom. It refused to come out of the pokédex for some odd reason.

"You got a plan?"

"I think so. We might be able to get up that roof. Maybe your Rowlet can fly up there?" Sophocles suggested.

"Sure!" The three quietly made their way behind the house. Ash got out Rowlet's poké ball and hoped that it wasn't sleeping.

"Coo?" To his delight, Rowlet was fully awake. It tilted its head to the side questionably.

"We need you to fly up the roof and into that window!" Ash instructed. Rowlet saluted and flapped its wings. It made it up the roof and hovered inside the window.

"Coo!" The sudden outcry made Ash worry. Rowlet came crashing out the window and into Ash's arms. Its eyes were replaced by a pair of swirly eyes and its beak was wide open.

Then, a group of wild pokémon came flying out of the window, annoyed that they were disturbed. They headed back into the wilderness, leaving an awestruck Ash watching them leave.

"There goes that plan," He grumbled, returning Rowlet back. "Now what? It isn't like we can get up there on our own."

It was true. Sophocles was too short. Mallow wasn't capable of putting any strain on her foot. That only left Ash and it wasn't a one person job.

"Pikachu? Got any ideas?"

Pikachu contemplated for a full ten seconds before smiling brightly.

"Pika!" Pikachu started to communicate with Tsareena. Tsareena's eyes widened, not believing what he was saying. Pikachu insisted, giving her the okay. Tsareena nodded hesitantly.

"What's going on?" Ash got his answer when Tsareena kicked Pikachu, sending him through a different window and shattering it in the process.

"Ah! Pikachu!" Ash nearly fainted. Tsareena placed her hands over her face, ashamed by what she had done. She put more power into the kick than she thought.

"Pika!" Pikachu poked his head through the window, calming Ash's worries. Somehow, he wasn't injured at all.

"We're going to have to work on controlling your power!" Mallow narrowed her eyes at Tsareena.

Pikachu hopped out the window and ran across the roof. He made it to Sun's window and checked to make sure if there was any wild pokémon left. Thankfully there wasn't.

"Right! Pikachu, you need to get some journal with an Icium Z design on the cover. Then get…" Mallow was reading off a list that Lillie gave her. "The picture of him and his pokémon. And finally… the sun shaped box in the trunk under his bed!"

"Doesn't seem like much," Ash said, waiting for Pikachu to come out.

"Says here that it means a lot to Sun." Mallow gave him the list. The little caution symbol on the bottom caught his eye.

It read:

 _Please don't open the box! - Lillie_

"Now I kind of want to open the box." Ash didn't shy away from his thoughts.

It was only natural for him to want to. One doesn't say don't do something and expect someone to not do it.

"I don't know…" Mallow didn't want to break Lillie's trust, regardless of where they stand. She wanted to respect her wishes.

"Pi! Pika!" The items were thrown off the window carelessly. Pikachu jumped out the window and Ash caught him.

"Great job Pikachu! But did you have to throw it?" He heard Mallow giggle at the interaction, making him feel fuzzy inside.

Sophocles picked up the portrait and smiled. "Back when everything wasn't crazy. There's Marshadow, just as I predicted." The dark shadow behind Sun was there, confirming his previous theory days ago.

"What's this notebook?" Mallow grabbed the note back and opened the first page. "Woah. This is from forever ago!" She flipped through each page, skimming through the entries. "I didn't know Sun was writing about his life since he was four."

Ash watched Mallow smiling and reading over an entry. His eyes were growing jealous, seeing how much Sun's friendship made Mallow smile.

"Pika!" Pikachu pointed to the sun shaped box on the ground. The lid had came off from the fall, giving him full access to whatever was inside. Mallow and Sophocles weren't paying attention.

 _'I don't think Sun or Lillie would mind. We would see whatever is inside when Lillie opens it anyhow.'_ Ash crouched down and turned the box around. His eyes sparkled at the contents.

There was a small stash of poké dollars inside. Ash wasn't greedy, but the sight of money made him giddy. There were a couple pictures in there. They consisted of his friends and Island Kahunas, minus Nanu. He didn't miss the fact that Lillie was almost in every one.

There was also a case that was shaped to fit a poké ball. Ash wondered why he needed one until he realized that that was most likely where Sun put his Master Ball.

Next to it was Sun's trainer passport and an amulet. He didn't know what the amulet was so he focused on the passport. Ash went through the passport, finding stamps marked in every page. One for his status as a trainer and four more for each trial completion. There was one last page titled: Island Challenge Completion. There was no stamp, though Ash was sure there would be one if not for Team Skull.

"What?" He found another passport under Sun's. His eyes scanned the passport, confusion setting its course.

"Mallow, do you have a trainer passport?" Ash asked.

Mallow didn't look up from the journal. "Sure I do. We're pokémon trainers. Of course we all have one as a form as identification," She responded casually.

"So everyone has a stamp?"

"Yep."

"Even trial completion stamps?"

"No. Not everyone competes in the Island Challenge."

"Then how do you explain this?" Mallow finally looked up from the notebook, as did Sophocles. They both let out alarmed gasps at what Ash was holding.

"It seems that we have another potential Champion in Alola." Ash scrolled through the six pages and back. Five out of the six had stamps.

On the front of the trainer passport was a picture of Lillie.

* * *

Gladion was making his trip back to Sun's clinic room. Scouting for enemies was quite boring to say the least. Nothing was happening and Gladion was yearning to get back to training and battling.

 _'When he wakes up is when I'll take my leave.'_ He had everything planned out. When Sun awoke, he would join the others and talk to him. Afterwards, he'll head back out to one of the islands. Most likely Poni Island, due to it being his last location for the Island Challenge.

It was strange. He remembered Lillie talking about the Island Kahuna Hapu, yet he had never seen her. Only by pictures yes, but he never met her face to face. To add to that, he hadn't heard anything about Hapu in the past several months.

 _'She better be there once I've finished prepping up. Or else…'_ Gladion was nearing the hallway to the Clinic Hall. Sun's room was one of the first doors. To his surprise, he saw his mother and Wicke standing out the doorway of Sun's room.

 _'What's with the popcorn?'_ He pinched the bridge of his nose, finding it annoying that he didn't know what was going on.

"Mother! What is the meaning of this?" Gladion demanded coldly. Her mother was supposed to be a busy president after all.

Lusamine didn't detect the hostility in his voice. "Shh!" She shushed him, much to his irate.

"Shh? I'm just asking what's…" He trailed off once he saw what all the fuss was about.

Lillie and Moon were glaring at each other. They sat on the edge of Sun's bed and were fighting for his hand.

"Paws off blondie! Sunny and I were meant to be!" Moon yanked Sun's hand to her direction.

"That's not true at all!" Lillie forced his hand back to her.

"You're just going to betray him again! I for once have never done it nor will I ever! Sun's with me!"

"Sun's my best friend! He forgave me and admitted that it was his own fault! We had a talk and everything!"

"Not the second time! You were calling him a traitor and tried to steal his pokémon! I never lost faith in him!"

Lillie was at a loss of words. She didn't really have an argument against that. She felt guilty by it and took it out on Moon.

"Get out," Lillie growled, pushing Moon down. She possessively entangled Sun's hand with her own so Moon wouldn't try to separate them.

"That's my line…" Gladion mumbled.

"It's time to unleash my ultimate power!" Moon had a burst of flames shoot out from her body. Her eyes were flaring of immense jealousy. She took out a notebook from under her hat and furiously scribbled something down.

"Ha! There! You're on my list now!" Moon chuckled darkly, showing the page to Lillie.

"Your list?" Lillie wasn't totally shocked to see other names on Moon's _'list.'_ There was Misty, AJ, Blaine, Officer Jenny, and many more. It was down until the bottom of the page. There was _'green,'_ and _'blondie.'_ She noticed that Moon had crossed out the name _'water girl,'_ leading her to believe that she patched things up with Lana.

"What's this list supposed to do?" Lillie didn't get the meaning of writing down someone's name on a piece of paper.

"Grr! You're supposed to be kneeling before me!" She stomped her foot on the ground childishly. Lillie shrugged and continued to intertwine her hand with Sun's.

Moon wasn't having any of it. "That's it!" She grabbed the closest thing she could find, which just so happened to be a stethoscope.

"Not on my watch!" Gladion interfered and snatched the object away from her. Lillie stuck her tongue out at Moon, aggravating her to the point of teeth grinding. "Lillie, get away from Sun. He needs his rest and you're not helping."

"Ha! You got betrayed by your own brother!" Moon taunted, catching the look of betrayal in Lillie's eyes.

"B-but Gladion…"

"No arguing."

"Th-then… I won't listen to you!" Lillie turned her head to the side and haughtily tilted her head up. "Besides, I was the one who saved him! Therefore, I should be the one with him." She put his head close to her and patted his head.

Moon was ready to explode. "I so could've saved him if I was there! That's the last straw! Prepare for my finishing blow, blondie!" She charged up and made a beeline for Lillie.

 **Wham!**

A newcomer struck Moon in the head, knocking her out cold.

"Decidueye!" Lusamine gasped. Decidueye scoffed and dragged one of his talons on the floor. He had a Squirtle plush in the other and placed it next to Moon. Her unconscious form reached for it. She snuggled with the plush and smiled.

"Okay…" Gladion blinked. "That's one down. As for you Lillie, let Sun have some alone time. He won't move, though it's not like he can when he wakes up anyway."

"B-but-" Lillie went to protest but was stopped by Lusamine.

"I do believe it's for the best. Decidueye will watch over him. Isn't that right?" Decidueye rolled his eyes but perched himself on the desk beside the bed.

"Well…"

"Ooh! We can have one of our fun family meals together! I'll have one of the chefs prepare something for us!" Lusamine clapped her hands, overjoyed with her idea.

"Who said that I was going to be a part of this?" Gladion groaned.

"It's called _family_ fun meals for a reason Gladion. It wouldn't be _family_ without you, now would it?" The tone in his mother's voice made Gladion rethink his decision.

"Of course."

 _'Stupid family fun meals.'_ Was what Gladion wanted to say.

Lillie thought about it. Being together as a family and eating very rarely happened. Both Lusamine and Gladion were always busy. It would be silly of her to not accept.

"Alright." Lillie stared at Sun for a few more seconds.

 _'Finally, things are going back to normal._

* * *

As usual, the mischievous trio known as Team Rocket were up to no good. After the events of Necrozma, they were pretty proud of themselves for the information that they gave. They didn't get any pokémon, but neither did Matori Matrix. That amused Jessie greatly.

They were on a roll so far. They didn't intend on stopping their momentum. Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Mimikyu were doing just that.

It was a rare occasion to have Mimikyu out of its poké ball and roaming around. Jessie and James weren't going to waste this opportunity.

"Listen up!" Jessie was holding a pointer and slapped it on a picture of Sun on the tree. "Our main target is Sun! Boss wants info on him, no questions asked!" She recited exactly what Giovanni said.

Mimikyu was jumping up and down for some reason.

Meowth shuddered. "I can't imagine what makes Mimikyu happy." Mimikyu smacked Meowth with its stick, making him whimper.

"Stop fooling around! We have a secondary target." A picture of Decidueye replaced the picture of Sun. "This Decidueye is his starter. Decidueye has to be the strongest if boss has interest in him. Maybe stronger than that bratty Pikachu."

Mimikyu wasn't paying attention to Jessie's briefing. It grabbed the picture of Sun and brought it under its costume.

"And the non primary targets but we want them anyway! Froslass, Ninetales, Glaceon, Sandslash, and Vanilluxe. Strongest to weakest in that order. They'll be excellent additions to Team Rocket!" James and Meowth listened to her every word.

"How can we get 'em then?" Meowth asked.

"Easy!" Jessie smirked. "We find out where he lives and catch him when he's least expecting it."

"Chik! Chik!" Mimikyu began moving, making the three Team Rocket members confused.

"Where's it going?" James pondered.

"Hopefully it goes back to wherever it came from." Meowth folded his arms and grinned cockily.

"Fools! We got to follow it. It might know where that twerp's house is!" Mimikyu seemed to know Sun. Maybe it knew where he lived.

The three and Wobbuffet followed Mimikyu for about six minutes. They stopped in front of a house where five pokémon were guarding the door.

"A Froslass, Ninetales, Glaceon, Sandslash, and a Vanilluxe! That matches the description!" James pointed out excitingly. This was Sun's house, no doubt about it.

While the four were celebrating their success, Mimikyu wandered closer to the house. Jessie caught this from the corner of her eyes and grabbed it by its limb.

"Hold it! There are pokémon there! You can't go in without a battle plan." Jessie was struggling to hold Mimikyu as it was trying to wiggle its way to freedom.

"Looks like we'll battle them!" James released his Mareanie, which immediately latched onto him. "Don't bear hug me! Bear hug the enemies!" He ran around in circles and shouted for her to let go. This caught the attention of the pokémon guarding Sun's door.

"So much for stealth," Jessie grumbled. "Go get them with Shadow Ball!" Her command went unheard. The pack of pokémon were bolting towards them quickly.

"You too, Mareanie!" Mareanie was being more clingy than usual. James was unable to get her to attack.

"Wood Hammer! Play Rough! Shadow Claw! Do something!" Jessie clenched her fists tightly. She was getting annoyed at Mimikyu's incompetence. Sun's pokémon were about to come and battle at any second now.

"Chik! Chik!" Mimikyu hopped up and down, directing its beady eyes at Ninetales, then at Sandslash, and finally at Glaceon. The three pokémon individual pokémon stopped.

Mimikyu extended its appendage from underneath its costume with the picture of Sun in hand. It showed the picture to the three and jumped repeatedly.

The three pokémon scratched their heads, not getting the big picture.

"Chik! Chik! Chik! Chik!" Mimikyu was getting frustrated. The atmosphere was growing darker due to this. The dark atmosphere swept through the three pokémon. Their eyes shot open and they backed up.

Ninetales pointed a paw at Mimikyu. Her body was trembling, now remembering who Mimikyu was.

Mimikyu was glad that someone at least knew who it was. That celebration was short lived.

A Shadow Ball and Ice Beam came flying towards the Team Rocket group. Screams filled the area as the impact was strong enough to send Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Mimikyu blasting off to the sky.

Ninetales, Glaceon, and Sandslash glared daggers at their two teammates, silently demanding as to why they attacked.

Froslass and Vanilluxe exchanged glances and shrugged. Well, Froslass did. Vanilluxe put on two goofy faces.

Ninetales had the urge to beat the two senseless. She firmly believed she had a good chance against Vanilluxe, though Froslass would be a tough opponent.

She whipped her head back to look at Mimikyu soaring through the sky. Ninetales still couldn't believe it. She wasn't sure if she should tell Sun when he woke up. The language barrier was one of the reasons, the other main reason being whether Sun could handle the news or not. That's not the only thing that shocked her.

Ninetales could've swore that she saw a Bewear grab the four in the sky.

* * *

"There. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Lusamine, Gladion, and Lillie were heading back to Sun's room to check up on him. The family meal wasn't as bad as Lusamine thought it would turn out. Lillie and her carried the conversation. Gladion stayed quiet for the majority of the time, only speaking when he was called on.

"I don't know about that," Gladion said.

"Big brother, it's rare for the three of us to each a meal. You should be more thankful!" Lillie lightly scolded her brother. Nonetheless, she had a good time with her family.

Her thoughts went back to Sun. Their two families had dinner together twice. Each time, Sun would complain to Lillie about Gladion and his death glares. She wasn't sure if that was the reason why he stopped going to the mansion for dinner. Either way, they hung out frequently at each other's homes.

The three arrived at the room and were greeted by Ash, Mallow, and Sophocles.

"Ash? Mallow? Sophocles? What are you three doing here?" Lillie inquired curiously.

Sophocles deadpanned, "We know Sun too, Lillie."

"R-right. Ehehe…" Lillie blushed, embarrassment setting its course.

Gladion frowned. "I didn't know you guys skipped school. Lillie here is a rebel so I understand why she didn't go."

"Hey! That was one time!"

"Actually it was three times. You snuck out with Sun to catch those Poké Wars movies." Gladion shook his head in disappointment.

"And rightfully punished all three times~" Lusamine added in sweetly.

Ash was genuinely surprised to hear that Lillie skipped school. He thought of Lillie to be the model student.

"We didn't skip school. Professor Kukui is sick and-"

"Stop. That's all I need to know." Gladion was familiar with Kukui's sick behavior. He had heard about the professor taking away Sun's egg and making him cry. Last time Gladion made Sun cry, he regretted it when Lillie stopped talking to him for nearly a month! He downgraded Sun to the point of tears. She only forgave him when he apologized to Sun and pat his head.

"We moved Moon over there." Mallow pointed a finger to the chair at the side. Moon was sleeping peacefully and was wrapped in a cozy blanket. "And Decidueye left when we came. Busy bird I guess."

Lillie didn't seem to mind, knowing that Sun was in good hands with her friends.

"You brought the stuff, right?" She turned her attention to Mallow. Her eyes filled with hope.

"Yeah we did…" Mallow, Ash, and Sophocles huddled up closer together. Ash's body tensed when his elbow brushed Mallow's arm.

"What's wrong?"

"Well… erm…" Mallow couldn't figure out a way to word it so Sophocles took over.

"We saw what was in the box. All of it." Sophocles flinched slightly when Lillie's eyes shrunk.

"Y-you did?" She stuttered, her eyes shifting to Mallow. Ash noticed this and stepped in.

"I was the one who found it." He took the fall for it since technically it was him. "Lillie, how come you never told us? It makes sense now. How you beat me in a battle." He still considered it Lillie's win. He would've lost if it wasn't for her forfeiting.

"You lost to Lillie?!" Gladion smirked, beyond amused. The smirk faded when he realized how tense the atmosphere was. "What's going on? You better not be hassling my sister."

"Can we show them?"

Lillie looked like she was going to tear up any second. She nodded anyway, holding it in strong for what was about to come.

Ash slowly dug the trainer passport from the box. He tossed it to Gladion.

"This is just her trainer passport."

"Read all of it."

Gladion didn't like being bossed around but did it regardless. He flipped to the second page. The color from his face drained. His stoney eyes not leaving the stamp for completing the Melemele Trial.

He turned to the next page, now seeing the Akala Trial Completion stamp. Gladion look over the next two pages, each having the same results.

Gladion dropped Lillie's trainer passport and silently left the room. Lillie stumbled to the floor to pick it back up.

"May I see?" Lusamine requested softly. Lillie handed it to her. The Aether Foundation President read over it and then closed it. Her eyes were closed shut and she released a deep sigh.

Lillie feared her reaction. She didn't want her mother to do what Gladion just did.

"Lillie… I'm so proud of you!"

"H-huh?" Lillie found herself entangled into one of her mother's hugs. "Y-you aren't mad?"

"Why would I? My Lillie has future champion within her!" Lusamine picked up her daughter and twirled her around.

"Yeah! That's so cool!" Ash exclaimed happily. "You must be crazy strong!"

"The strongest!" Sophocles chimed in.

"To have four stamps is a big deal! You should be proud of yourself!" Mallow sat in a chair and placed her crutches down. She flashed Lillie a toothy grin.

"It's not that great." Lillie poked her index fingers together once out of her mother's grasp. "Sun thought it'd be a good idea for me to practice battling. With permission from Sun and the Island Kahunas, they allowed me to have a practice trial of sorts using Sun's pokémon."

"Practice trial?" Ash repeated, a bit confused.

"It's not official. At least I thought it wasn't. I think they were impressed with my skills. It was hard battling them since I was new to the concept. I didn't even understand his pokémon all that well at first," Lillie explained. "After I beat Hala, he gave me the stamp. I told him why and he said that I deserved it for giving him a great battle. The same happened with Olivia and Hapu. Nanu didn't say anything. He must've been mad that I beat him. Acerola pressured him into giving me the stamp or else she'd tell Tapu Bulu. In the end, Acerola told me that Nanu respected my battling skills."

Ash smiled throughout the whole explanation. When she was done, he gave his input. "I don't think it matters whether you used someone else's pokémon or not. It takes just as much work to know a pokémon inside and out and use them efficiently to defeat a Kahuna! It makes me wonder how powerful you'll be if you get your own pokémon team!"

"She'd crush the competition! Better watch out for her Ash!" Mallow teased him.

Sophocles grinned. "Miss Lusamine is right. You have the potential to be a champion!"

Everyone's praises made Lillie blush brightly. She wasn't expecting everyone to be so proud of her. Even Ash, who was on his way to be champion too. She was upset about something though.

"But Gladion…"

Lusamine petted her head. "Don't worry about him dear. He's just jealous that you're ahead of him. He'll cool down eventually." Lillie nodded, believing in her words.

"Wow. Big brother is jealous of me…"

"He'd be more jealous if you get your own team and beat him! I can picture his face right now!" Ash laughed. Mallow, Sophocles, and Lusamine joined him.

 _'My own team…'_ That thought circles around her head. _'I love using Sun's pokémon but maybe I should stop relying on him so much. I have Snowy, but that's about it. Maybe I can even beat him… no that won't happen. Hehe~ He's too strong.'_ The mere thought of becoming a strong trainer made her feel warm inside.

That's when it happened.

"E-eh?" A faint, yet audible voice spoke. The room went quiet as they wondered if they were hearing right.

Lillie's body was shaking in joy. She turned around and almost felt like her heart was about to melt. There, right in front of her was Sun, who was sitting up from the bed and rubbed his forehead.

The first thing he looked at was Lillie. Their eyes connected with one another. Lillie's eyes were beginning to glisten. She let out a cry of elation and ran to his bed.

"SUN!" She jumped on the bed and wrapped her arms around him. She gave him one of her hardest hugs yet, not thinking clearly about his injuries and how much it must have hurted.

A few seconds later, she felt a pair of arms hug her back weakly.

* * *

 _ **Second Author's Note: Sun's back and next chapter will be the first Sun centric in ten chapters. That's good for me because I get one of my main characters back. Fun fact, I had an idea of giving him amnesia but I held off against it because I already did that in one of my other stories. This chapter is hinting at Lillie being her own trainer, which is something I'm considering. Can't have her use Sun's pokémon forever. Episodes 100 and 101 of the anime had me really confused. I don't want to type about it if I have no idea what I'm doing. I'll try understandings it some more. Like I said above, I'm open to any Ash x Mallow as long as it makes sense. It might even show up next chapter as a side story. So yeah… stayed tuned**_


	27. Road to Recovery

**Author's Note: When I meant the end of the month I meant the very last day haha. Anyway, this is a short chapter just because I couldn't think of much else. When looking at what I've planned out for this story, I decided to cut out some of the ideas I've had. Nothing too major as of now.**

 **As for the future of this fanfic, I still want to work on it but I don't plan on updating it as much as I used to. I don't want to say when the next chapter will be too because I don't make any promises that I might not keep. But I will promise that it won't take as long as four months again.**

 **Guest: I believe your the same guest that's been reviewed four times in a row. Thanks for the kind words even though I haven't been giving this fanfic much attention anymore.**

 **DragonEmperor999: Thanks for your reviews and kind words!**

 **Guest (2): Haha, I already have some ideas in mind back then but I don't remember them quite as well now. Thanks!**

 **Shane: I haven't been keeping up with the anime for a while. When I saw your comment I flipped because I didn't know Guzma was in it now. I've watched that episode and loved it. Thanks for the support!**

 **So yeah, I hope you guys enjoy this small chapter. :)**

* * *

Three days have passed since Sun woke up. A minute after he did, he went back into his slumber. Lillie freaked out, thinking that she hugged him too hard. She did for the most part, but Sun needed his rest.

The doctors told them that it was baffling that he woke up a day after the whole incident. He should've taken a few days at least. How he had the strength to hug Lillie back was a mystery to them.

Everyone was glad that he was recovering step by step. Even Mallow looked a little happy at it. The heart of the matter was that he shouldn't be disturbed while he was trying to recover. The doctors kicked out everyone, including the bedridden Moon.

They haven't let anyone in since. Lusamine called in a few times and demanded to know what they up to. They responded with giving him medical check-ups and awaiting to see if he would wake up again.

He didn't.

The following day, Professor Kukui wasn't sick anymore and he apologized to the entire class for his behavior. Lana was absent again. Filling in her place was Moon. Not surprisingly, she was asleep for the majority of the class. She only woke up when it was time for lunch and stole Lillie's lunch. Moon gobbled it up right in front of her and fell asleep once more.

No one knew if that was what did it but Lillie didn't show up the next two days. Moon didn't participate at all. All she did was steal Ash's lunch and go to sleep.

Today was going to be different.

"Hehe! I'm prepared for Moon today!" Ash snickered manically, causing Pikachu to sweatdrop. Ash patted his lunchbox with a cheeky grin and put it back inside his backpack.

Mallow was beside him, giving him a strange look. "What are you on about?"

"Nothing! Tee-hee!" Ash skipped happily, absentmindedly leaving Mallow behind.

Mallow huffed. She wanted to catch up with Ash and her other friends, but she was unable to do so with her injured foot. It seemed like forever ago that she injured her foot during Stakataka's attack. Her life was tougher, no doubt about that. She was feeling left behind by her friends. Mallow hated that feeling.

'It's like when Sun ditched me for Lillie.' Mallow looked down at the ground. Her mind was in an array until she heard Ash call out to her.

"Mallow! You coming?"

"Y-yeah! Just had to adjust my footing!" Tsareena shook her head at her lie.

The walk to the school was quiet. Ash didn't notice Mallow's demeanor change. When they did eventually make it to the classroom, a surprise was waiting for them.

"I, Queen Moon, am now the leader of this school!" Moon was there with her foot on top of Professor Kukui's back. She had a royal crown on her head and wore red robes.

"Get off!" Kukui tried his best to get Moon off of him but to no avail.

"Peasants!" Moon glared at the two students in front of her. She hadn't spotted Ash or Mallow. Her attention was focused on Sophocles and Kiawe. "I require a throne! I demand you make one for me this instant!"

Kiawe crossed his arms, unamused. "Or what?"

Ash and Mallow slowly walked back out the classroom once the atmosphere grew eerily dark within a matter of seconds.

"Or what?" Moon tilted her head sideways and smiled creepily at a now shaken Kiawe. "Or what he says!? Hypno! Teach this fool a lesson!" Hypno was wearing a miniature jester hat on her head. She approached Kiawe with her pendulum in hand.

Sophocles yelped and hid behind a desk. Mallow followed his lead and hid behind Ash. The memories of Lana's story from when they were younger came back to them.

"Ah! A Hypno! Lana told a really scary story about them when we were younger and we haven't been the same since!" Mallow squealed, tightening her grip on Ash's back.

 _'This… this isn't actually all that bad.'_ Ash's face flushed brightly at the close contact.

"Do the thing!" Moon pointed her finger towards Kiawe. Hypno swung her pendulum left and right, hypnotizing Kiawe in the process.

Kiawe collapsed. He stood back up and had a set of swirly eyes on his face. A faint pink aura surrounded him.

"Queen Moon orders you to make me a throne!" Moon repeated.

"Yes Queen Moon." Kiawe replied in a monotone voice.

'Right. This is actually bad.' Ash came back to his senses once he saw his friend being hypnotized by Moon and Hypno.

"You!" Sophocles gasped and continued hiding. "Since you're not on my list or an enemy of Sun, I shall gift you with mercy."

Sophocles came out of his hiding spot and got on his knees.

"Thank you, Queen Moon!" Sophocles thanked her gratefully.

"But." Sophocles flinched. "As Queen, I have absolute monarchy over this classroom. With that said, you must tell a funny joke to decide your fate! You only get one chance! Failure to amuse me will result in you becoming like Kiawe over there."

Sophocles glanced over to Kiawe to see him stacking up the desks to make a throne. He gulped and started thinking of the funniest joke in his head.

'If I was Moon, what would make me laugh!?' He panicked internally. He had no idea what actually made the girl laugh despite having known her for a while now.

Then it clicked to him.

"I got it!" Moon leaned forward to hear him out. "Knock Knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Nobody!"

"Nobody who?"

Silence filled the area. Sophocles kept his mouth shut, hoping that Moon would at least let out a chuckle.

"Well? Hurry up and finish the joke!" Moon barked.

"That was the joke! Nobody is there so that's why I didn't speak!" Sophocles explained the joke to her.

Moon's eyes turned red. "Are you calling me stupid because I didn't understand the joke!?"

"N-no! I was just trying to-"

"Hypno!" Before Sophocles had the chance to run, Hypno trapped him under her hypnosis. "You're not funny! Act like a Chimchar and make me laugh!"

Sophocles jumped on a desk and began to act like a Chimchar. "Ooh! Ooh!" Now both Sophocles and Kiawe were under Moon's control. Ash and Mallow were the last ones, not counting Professor Kukui. The professor was currently incapable of moving, being squashed as a throne for Alakazam.

"Hehehe! It feels good to be in power!" Moon cackled, lightning cracking in the background.

Mallow clenched onto the back of Ash's shirt. "Ash, what do we do?"

Ash came up with a quick solution. "We need a distraction." He sadly threw his lunchbox at the middle of the classroom, sacrificing his lunch.

"Huh?" Moon tilted her head sideways in confusion. She closed in on the lunchbox, recognizing it to be Ash's because of the logo.

Moon opened the lunchbox. Her face twisted in anger and she threw it at the wall, spilling out its contents.

"Vegetables?! You packed a stupid salad for lunch?!" Moon's eyes turned red again.

"Noooo-" Ash was silenced when Mallow placed a hand over his mouth. Moon caught the sound of his voice and the direction from where it came from.

"You're still here? You think it's funny to pack me and lunch full of vegetables?!" Moon stomped towards Ash and Mallow, not finding their hiding spot yet.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu and Tsareena decided to sacrifice themselves next to buy their trainers time to escape. Of course, they weren't going down with a fight.

Pikachu leapt to the air and shot an electric net at Hypno. The new move worked like a charm and trapped Hypno.

Moon gasped, "Hypno! No!" She glared at the mouse pokémon. "She's not the only one who came mess up your mind. Jinx, hypnotize them with your singing!"

Jinx obeyed and cleared her throat, ready to sing a riveting song.

However, Tsareena swooped in and launched her in the air with a mighty kick to the face.

"Nooo!" Moon got serious. "Alakazam! Mr. Mime! Sick 'em!" She ordered.

Mr. Mime went first. He started out with his special technique that Moon called: Mime in a Box.

Mr. Mime touched the air, acting as if he were trapped in a box. Pikachu and Tsareena were mesmerized by this.

Alakazam joined in the action and sent off a pink ray at them with his spoons. The recovered Jinx and Hypno joined in too, hypnotizing Pikachu and Tsareena.

"Yes! You're under my control now!" Moon cackled evilly. "Now lead me to your trainers!"

Pikachu and Tsareena nodded. They slowly walked to the spot where Ash and Mallow were hiding.

Mallow clung onto Ash's back, fearing for her life. Moon would make her do anything that she wanted, which was bound to be terrible.

Ash clenched his fists, hoping that some outside force would assist them in their time of peril.

"Mwahahaha!" Queen Moon stood on top of her throne and laughed like an evil villain. Everyone was under her wrath! No one could stop her!

"The Pokémon School now belonged to Queen M-" Moon was cut off by her new phone ringing. Slightly miffed, Moon answered. "What!? I'm trying to make these peasants bow down to me!"

"Moon?" Lillie's voice came from her phone.

"Ugh. It's you." Queen Moon was getting ready to hang up.

"Wait! I'm with Sun and he says he wants to see you!" Lillie spoke quickly.

"Sunny~" Moon cooed with hearts in her eyes. "Tell him I'll be there!" She ended the call and innocently hopped down from her throne. She left the classroom without a care in the world.

Hypno released the hypnotized participants from her control and followed her trainer out the doorway.

"That's it… Moon is officially banned from this class." Professor Kukui groaned from his position on the floor. Ash, Mallow, Kiawe, and Sophocles groaned in agreement.

* * *

Lusamine was speaking with one of the doctors. Apparently, Lillie had threatened them with their jobs if they didn't let her in. That was way out of line, so now she was marching her way to Sun's clinic room.

The doctor had told her that Sun hasn't woken up once when they came to check up on him. This left her to wonder why Lillie kept barging her way to his room when he wasn't even awake.

"When I see Lillie… it'll be ten minutes of sitting in the time out chair!" She declared to no one. Lusamine made it to the door of the room that belonged to Sun. She had an evil plan in mind.

 _'I'll scare Lillie! Mehehe!'_ Lusamine slowly opened the door. She poked her head in carefully. What she saw made her heart warm.

Sun was resting on the hospital bed, no doubt exhausted by the events of Necrozma. His eyes were closed shut. Lillie on the other hand, had a bowl of stew on her lap and a spoon in her hand.

"Open up, Sun. It'll get cold if you don't eat it now." Lillie's tender voice spoke. To Lusamine's surprise, Sun weakly opened his mouth, letting Lillie gently placed the small portion of stew in his mouth.

 _'So the doctors were wrong. Sun is awake. Or maybe… those two have been secretly keeping this from everyone.'_

To find her answer, Lusamine made herself known.

"What do we have here?" Her voice startled Lillie, almost causing her to drop the steaming hot stew on Sun. "My, my, you two little rascals. Thought you could keep this a secret from me?"

"M-mother!" Lillie placed the bowl of stew to the side and hastily stood up. Her cheeks flushed red. "It isn't what it looks like!"

"Oh? It looks like to me that you're keeping Sun's state a secret to everyone, including the doctors." Lusamine placed her hands on her hips. "Now Lillie, you can't take care of Sun on your own. He needs the professionals to take care of him."

"B-but I've been taking real good of him! See!" Lillie showed her mother the weak state that he was in.

"Let's ask Sun then." Lusamine went over to the two and eyed Sun. "Would you rather have Lillie take care of you, or a professional?"

Lillie looked on with anticipation. If he were to say he didn't want her help, then it'd be an huge slap to her face after all the time she spent on tending to him.

Sun was about to give an answer until someone barged in the room.

"Sunny!" Moon skipped her way to his hospital bed and jumped up. Lusamine managed to grab her in time before she landed on him.

"Moon!" Lillie's eyes sharpened. Her body shifted closer to Sun.

"Oh come on! I wanna see him!" Moon whined, flailing her limbs in an attempt to escape Lusamine's grasp.

"You can see him but you're going to have to be more careful." Lusamine said in a soft tone. Ignoring her, Moon continued to act like a rapid tasmanian devil, to the point of messing up Lusamine's long hair.

"Who is it?" Sun asked in a weak voice, attempting to lift up his head. He cringed, head seeping in pain so he laid it back down.

"Oh! It's no one. Just the wind!" Lillie patted his forehead, smiling warmly.

"Just the wind!? Oooh! You're so going to get it blondie!" Moon punched Lusamine in the stomach. The punch did the trick. Lusamine let go of Moon, allowing her to rush over to Sun and pounce on his body.

"Sunny!" Moon squealed, kicking Lillie off the bed. She tumbled to the floor as a result of this. Dozens of little hearts emerged from her form.

Lillie reeled back to her feet. The only thing on her mind was to yank Moon away from Sun. That was until she saw something she never thought she'd see.

Moon was crying.

The hearts transformed into broken ones. Moon's sobs became more audible as she clenched onto Sun tighter. Sun recognized who was on him and wrapped his arms around his friend.

Lillie's expression softened at the sight. She watched Moon reunite with Sun quietly.

"That's better." Lusamine patted her hair back to normal. She placed a hand on Lillie's shoulder. "You're not the only one who misses Sun, sweetheart. Think about Moon. Think about your other friends. Keeping his consciousness a secret only benefits you Lillie. Do you see what I'm talking about now? You should've told us that he was awake."

Lillie's bottom lip quivered. She turned to her mother and bowed her head. "I-I'm sorry, mother! I was selfish! I only thought of myself."

"That's quite alright. At least now you learned your lesson." Lusamine noticed that Moon was now shoving a clipboard at Sun's face.

"Please, Sunny! If you sign this then we can be together forever. Hehehe!" Dazed, Sun sluggishly grabbed the pen and started to sign the contract. Moon's eyes sparkled, not knowing the Sun hadn't really heard her nor had he read it at all. He just wanted to return to sleep.

"No!" Lillie snatched the clipboard out of Sun's hand and tossed it outside the open window. She and Moon butted heads, reigniting their rivalry.

"What's your deal blondie?! He clearly wanted to sign it!"

"He's not even fit to read the darn thing! You're not going to get him to sign whatever that paper is on my watch!"

"You're just jealous! Sunny clearly likes me the best! Don't you?" Moon leaned towards Sun, smiling cheerfully.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, anything for you Moon…" Sun drawled out, burying his face back into his pillow.

Moon lit up like a christmas tree. She jumped up, her emotions bursting wildly. Not only did Sun say she was the best, he did it in front of Lillie too. Moon hoped that the blonde haired girl would back off now.

"Moon is the best! Moon number one!" Moon shouted in joy.

Lillie pushed Moon away. "Sun, surely I'm at the very top. Right?" She asked, hoping that he merely had just forgotten about her.

"W-what? Oh… yeah. You're awesome Lillie." Lillie brightened up at the response.

"Oh it is on!" Moon declared war against Lillie. She released her Blastoise from his poké ball. "Get her Blastoise! Drench her in water!"

"I don't think so!" Lillie wasn't going to let Moon push her around, or anyone in that matter. Those days were over. Snowy jumped in front of Lillie, ready to protect her trainer.

"Girls. Having a pokémon battle inside a hospital is really disrespectful!" Lusamine gasped.

"Can it hag!" Moon growled.

"Yes! Be quiet mother!" Lillie added in, equally angry.

"Oh!" Lusamine gasped again, placing a hand over her chest. Her sweet, precious Lillie talked back to her! Such actions saddened Lusamine. She thought she raised a respectful young lady.

The ultimate battle between Lillie and Moon was about to commence.

That was until Sun interfered.

"W-while you two are here, I hate b-being cooped up like this. So I have a mission for you two." Sun broke them out of their aggressive behavior. If not for him, they surely would've made a huge mess.

"Anything for you Sunny!" Moon cooed affectionately.

"I'll be more than happy to comply!" Just like that, the two stopped fighting and looked at Sun innocently.

'Am I not the voice of reason anymore?' Lusamine sweatdropped.

Sun placed a hand over his forehead. "Ugh. There's a flower l-located in the Grandpa Forest. It's a big white flower that's about the-the size of a Togedemaru. Find it and bring it back to me." He requested.

Moon giggled, "Tee-hee! If you wanted a bouquet of flowers you should've just asked! I'll buy you some roses Sunny!" Her cheeks flushed red at the thought of bringing Sun flowers. It'd be so romantic.

Lillie frowned. She proposed her own idea. "I-I can get you a whole shipments of flowers! Enough flowers to fill an entire island. I'll use mother's money to pay for it all just for you, Sun!" She declared hastily.

"Excuse me?" Lusamine's eyes turned into dots.

"Ugh! You stupid rich folks are the worst!" Moon groaned. She was secretly jealous of Lillie and her lifestyle, though she'll never admit that. "Common folk like you and I, Sun should stick together."

Lillie shook her head. "Sun is far from a commoner. He's really well-known here."

"I wasn't asking you blondie!"

"I can speak whenever I want!"

Sun pushed past the pain and sat up. "Just get the stupid flower already!" And then he collapsed on the bed again.

"Sorry." Both Lillie and Moon apologize at the same time. They glared at each other once they realized this.

"Lillie… I want you to lead since you know where where the G-grandpa Forest is. Moon, you go with Lillie and p-protect her." Sun said in the midst of his attempts to fall back asleep.

Lillie frowned, actually taking some offense from his words. "I don't need anyone protecting me."

"Don't worry, Sunny! My strong pokémon will be strong enough to protect Blondie!" Moon smirked evilly, enjoying the fact that Sun didn't think Lillie had what it takes to defend herself. However, it may have been mainly due to his bedridden state.

"Not blondie… her name is Lillie…" Were Sun's final words before he let his slumber overcome him.

Moon scowled while Lillie smiled, glad that Sun remained to use her name instead of calling her blondie like he did at the beginning of his return.

Lusamine approached Sun's bed and tucked him in. She smiled as she patted Sun's head, who unconsciousness did the same thing in return during his sleep.

"You heard him girls. Go and find that plant!"

"Ult-roger!" Lillie saluted her mother, having gotten grown to using the phrase.

"Yeah. Yeah. Just lead the way already." Moon glumly walked out the door.

Before Lillie followed, she was stopped by her mother.

"Do make sure not to fight with Moon. I don't believe Sun would appreciate that." Lusamine advised her. She found the embarrassed expression from Lillie amusing.

"We're not going to fight!" Lillie cried out. She raced out of the door to avoid her mother's teasing.

* * *

Lillie and Moon wandered towards Aina's Kitchen. There was a shortcut to the Grandpa Forest from there.

They went to the back of the building and walked inside the forest. Their journey to find the flower had begun.

Moon happily marched in the lead. Her Blastoise, Hypno, Alakazam, Jinx, Mr. Mime, and Slowking were sided by side, forming a circle around her.

"Remember everyone, search for a white flower that's as big as whatever a Togedemaru is. Maybe about the size of Blastoise…" Moon pondered. She had no idea what a Togedemaru was, still being new to the region of Alola and all.

The pokémon nodded and spread out. Moon followed her Blastoise.

"You said you didn't want any protection so I'm going to go find the flower all by myself and take it to Sunny!" Moon zoomed off, setting her plan to motion.

Lillie didn't particularly mind that Moon ditched her. At least now there won't be any conflict.

"That's alright. We can find that flower on our own!" Lillie said to Snowy. Snowy barked, determined to find the flower as well. "If I remember right, Sophocles' Togedemaru is about the size of a basketball. And the flower patch is just through those trees!" Lillie jumped, elated.

She and Snowy ran past the trees. Unfortunately for them, they dunked their bodies in a lake.

Lillie shrieked, not expecting to be in a pool of water. She lifted her head back up the surface. A wild Popplio was seen on top of her head, clapping its flippers happily. It squirted Lillie's face with water and dived back in the water.

Snowy spat out a small stream of water from her mouth.

"Oh… looks like my memory is still a bit fuzzy. I haven't been inside the Grandpa Forest for a while."

Meanwhile, Moon was currently chasing after a wild Hawlucha that decided to play a trick on her by stealing her hat.

"Give it back!" Moon cried out, not liking the feeling of being hatless. She loved wearing hats. It was what she had going on for her, other than being a fantastic trainer of course. "Blastoise! Get it!"

Blastoise turned his head the other way, finding interest in the small lake instead.

"Blastoise! Stop being a big meanie and help me!" Huffing, Blastoise obeyed and began chasing the wild Hawlucha. Obviously, he was never going to match up to its speed, so Blastoise tried a different method.

Blastoise engulfed Hawlucha with a wave of water while it was in the air. Hawlucha squawked wildly and descended to the ground.

Satisfied, Blastoise went to go retrieve the hat with his mouth. He placed the wet hat on Moon's head and smiled.

Moon shivered, feeling the cold water drip down her face. She glared at Blastoise, annoyed. Blastoise whacked her leg with his tail and headed towards the lake to go relax.

"Why you…" Moon was about to unleash a verbal assault on Blastoise until Mr. Mime popped out from the bushes.

"Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime pointed behind him, urging his trainer to go follow him.

Moon did just that. After a few minutes, they stumbled upon a hut of some sort. It looked like someone had really put in a lot of effort into it.

"Wow! Nice find Mr. Mime!" Moon praised her pokémon. Mr. Mime beamed at that. "Let's go ransack it now!" Moon rushed inside the hut, much to Mr. Mime's reluctance.

If Mr. Mime could describe Moon in the kindest way possible, it'd be careless. She has a short temper too. Moon meant well but sometimes she went too far.

Like now, the Kantonian girl was basically trespassing in someone's property.

Mr. Mime hesitantly entered the hut, only to find Moon chugging down a mug of juice. She sat on the counter, where there was already five empty mugs laying beside her.

Mr. Mime panicked. He confiscated the drink from her.

"Noooo!" Moon hiccuped. She sprawled on the counter. "Mmmm… those drinks were so tasty. I should bring one to Sunny… right after my nap."

Moon quickly fell asleep, snoring lightly.

Too bad for her and Mr. Mime that an unlikely visitor decided to pop back into its fortitude.

Mr. Mime felt heavy footsteps approach from behind him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the worst.

A heavy kick saw Mr. Mime literally being kicked out of one of the windows in the hut, courtesy of the guardian of the forest.

None other than Oranguru itself.

Oranguru immediately kicked out the intruder, no questions asked. It surveyed the interior, finding Moon sleeping on the counter and empty drinks surrounding her.

Naturally, Oranguru wasn't too pleased with this.

But then it remembered Moon. Yes, she was the same girl that he saw back at the Pokémon Paradise Resort. The same girl that tagged along with the Ultra Guardians.

The Ultra Guardians were good people. Oranguru befriended four of the members. Those being Ash, Lillie, Lana, and Mallow.

Oranguru drew closer to Moon, hearing her talk in her sleep.

"Hehe… I'll get that white flower for you, Sunny~" She giggled. "Then I'll show that blondie who is boss…"

Oranguru froze. Sunny? It was far fetched to assume things but the pokémon wondered if she was referring to one of its other friends too.

The pieces fit together. Only one other indication knew of the secret of the white flower. In fact, it was Oranguru who gave away this information itself. The white flower, or as its friend called it, the Bright Hope, possessed healing properties.

It may sound crazy, unreal, but it's very much true. There's only a limited amount of them, which is why Oranguru only let one other person know of it.

Sun.

On one day, Sun played in the forest by himself. Oranguru supervised him after Sun found his bar by accident. An incident happened that led to Sun spraining his ankle badly.

For some odd reason, Sun didn't want to tell his parents about it. He even cried and begged Oranguru for help, so it gave him the Bright Hope. Sun's ankle healed in a few hours and he thanked Oranguru with hugs.

If Sun needed the flower again then he must be hurt. As the guardian of the forest, it was Oranguru's job to help out those in need, including those who cares about the forest just as much as him.

Oranguru slung Moon around his shoulder and began to make its way to the area where the Bright Hope flowers grew.

Mr. Mime followed them, although distancing himself from Oranguru.

* * *

Lillie looked all over the forest to her best ability. She came up short, not finding any flower that met the description. She found ones the size of Togedemaru, but they were red. Then she found white flowers, but they weren't the right size.

"Ugh… maybe I do need some help to scope out the forest more." Lillie admitted, sitting on a log. Snowy sat beside her, also disappointed in their failure.

Lillie slowly grew scared when she was going to eventually return empty handed. Not only did she ignore Sun's advice to stay with Moon, she also wouldn't collect the flower for Sun. And if that were to happen then he'd probably hate her! Or worse. Maybe he'll hold a grudge, especially during the time when he was possessed.

She didn't want to lose Sun a third time, following his departure and his time being possessed. Lillie wanted to hang out with Sun, just like in the past.

Lillie hoped there wouldn't be another disaster waiting to happen once everyone got all cozy. They all deserved a long period of peace after the events that transpired with Necrozma.

"I want to be with Sun. Is that so much to ask for?" Lillie asked to no one in particular while also hugging Snowy.

As if fate answered her, she spotted a familiar face.

"Ah! Oranguru!" Lillie called out to the sage pokémon. Oranguru either didn't hear her or didn't care because it continued on without stopping.

Lillie knew of Oranguru when Sun showed her its place. That was about the same time when Mallow kept lied about being busy.

Lillie and Snowy followed after Oranguru. It wasn't a long walk and she came across a large area full of flowers.

What surprised her the most was when she saw Moon sleeping against a tree. Mr. Mime sat next to her, ready to alert her for any nearby threats.

"Guys!" Lillie approached Mr. Mime. Despite his trainer disliking Lillie, Mr. Mime himself had no issues with her. The psychic pokémon waved at her.

Oranguru came back to deliver the flower to Moon. Lillie caught and immediately panicked because technically Moon would get the flower before her.

"Oranguru!" Oranguru finally heard Lillie and turned to her direction. "It's nice to see you again!"

Oranguru nodded.

Lillie twiddled her fingers. "Actually, Moon and I are in this together. Since she is sleeping, you can give the flower to me. You see, Sun's not doing so well and he wanted this flower for some reason. It's our job to deliver it to him." She explained to the guardian of the forest.

Oranguru listened and shrugged when she finished. It handed her the flower before heading back to its bar.

Now Lillie was left with the task of getting Moon back to civilization.

"Where did you other pokémon go?" Lillie questioned to the sleeping Moon.

Unbeknownst to her, Blastoise led the others back to Aina's Kitchen. The reason? Well, they got hungry.

 _'Maybe if I woke her up…'_ Lillie pondered. On one hand, that meant she wouldn't have to carry her, on the other Moon would throw a huge fit.

She opted for the latter.

Lillie tossed a berry at Moon's forehead. It splattered all over her face on impact.

"Huh?!" Moon awoke abruptly. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, but stopped when she could hear Lillie, Snowy, and Mr. Mime giggling. She felt some sort of substance on her face.

Moon wiped a smidge of it with her finger and inspected it. She then licked it, depicting it as a berry.

"You think this is funny?!" Moon roared angrily. It was then that she noticed the white flower in Lillie's hands.

Scheming a masterminded plan, Moon allowed Lille to continue laughing and slowly crept towards her.

"Yoinks!" Moon snatched the flower from Lillie's hands and ran back to the direction of Aina's Kitchen in a hurry.

"Wait! No!" Lillie followed in hot pursuit. The pokémon glanced at each other and sighed, following their trainers in a lower pace.

* * *

Moon and Lillie arrived at the Aether Paradise and burst inside the hospital. They sped to Sun's room. Lillie had the flower in hand now, catching it from Moon during their running.

"Give it back! Gimme!" Moon hollered. She tackled Lillie to the floor. They fought back and forth, fishing for control of the flower.

"Haha!" Moon snatched the flower and barged inside the room. Lillie initiated the tackle next, falling inside his room.

"SUN! I GOT THE FLOWER!" Moon and Lillie shouted in unison.

What they saw in front of them beyond shock them.

Mallow was there, crying her heart out on Sun's shoulder.


End file.
